


End of the Rope

by SweetLoveCries



Category: Haikyuu!!
Genre: Blood, M/M, Mafia AU, Missing toes, Multi, Some sexy times, Violence, dangerous people, my boys are not nice in this one
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2016-11-07
Updated: 2017-10-19
Packaged: 2018-08-29 17:05:53
Rating: Mature
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence
Chapters: 13
Words: 29,651
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/8498191
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/SweetLoveCries/pseuds/SweetLoveCries
Summary: Tsukishima’s shoes clicked over the stone path, hands deep in his pockets. The guy that brought him here was carrying his bag- he insisted. From the corner of his eye, Tsukishima could spot cameras set up high in the pine trees. The automated front door will open in three, two, one-
“KEI!”
Sometimes, Tsukishima wanted so badly to turn back the time and have Kuroo actually headshot him back at the Maldives.





	1. Prologue

**Author's Note:**

  * For [heybree](https://archiveofourown.org/users/heybree/gifts).



> A story I promised for my dear friend that keeps gifting me amazing art. I had a hard time finding inspiration to write but somehow :D I found it :D Finally.  
> I hope she, and everyone that reads the story, like it. I enjoyed writing these first two chapters (well, prolog and chapter).  
> Thank you so much for reading!

“Have a nice evening, doctor Tsukishima.”

  
The tall blond stepped out onto the street, feeling the cold seep under his clothes. He pulled out a pack of cigarettes from his pocket and lit one, the fire of the flame illuminating his face for just a second. With the bag over his shoulder, he walked down the half empty road, wishing he had Yamaguchi to drive him like before.  
  
The bus stop was full to the brim, so Tsukishima walked past it, not sparing it a second glance. It might’ve been cold, but not enough for him to want and choke in the crowd.  
  
The phone in his pocket started ringing.  
“Tsukishima here.”  
“ _Tsukki! Long time no hear!_ ”  
  
Ah.  
  
“Bokuto-san. How interesting,” Tsukishima mumbled in a monotone voice.  
  
“ _You don’t sound happy. Daily life not treating you well?_ ” Bokuto asked in teasing tone. Blond caught his own reflection in the glass of the shop.  
  
“It’s going swell, actually. My head is blissfully empty. I’d like it to stay that way,” punctuating the last part, Tsukishima hoped to send the message across that no, he is not interested in another ‘job’.  
  
Bokuto sounded amused: “ _You don’t actually mean that. Smart people like yourself will never be satisfied with boring, everyday life. Just look at Kuroo._ ”  
“What do you want?”    
  
The line was silent for a while, “ _…male. Thirty-three years old. He was supposed to smuggle in for us diamonds worth fifty million dollars._ **”**  
“The diamonds disappeared I assume,” Tsukishima stated, stopping to look at the scarf that was for sale.  
He was met with affirming, brief silence, “ _Along with the man’s memories._ ”  
“You think he’s faking it.”  
“ _Akaashi says he is_.”  
“What’s in it for me?” Tsukishima continued walking, catching the glimpse of long, black car in the next street. He took a turn. “Because I don’t want to lose sleep over something useless if it turns out that he actually has amnesia.”  
  
_“Don’t worry, we have you all covered,”_ Bokuto tried to sound reassuring and bright, but Tsukishima could feel threat behind that cheerful tone.  
“That didn’t sound reassuring.”  
_“I didn’t want it to be reassuring,_ ” he admitted. Tsukishima’s migraine was doing a comeback, and he fought it off just an hour ago. “ _You do this for us. We pay you and no one touches your friends.”_  
“I don’t have friends.”  
“ _Of course you do._ ”  
  
Tsukishima bit his lower lip. The black car had made a circle around the block and stopped in front of him, several meters down the road.  
“Have you forgotten that the murder flew away?”  
“We found them.”  
Tsukishima’s fingers gripped tighter around the cellphone. “ _Let’s see… oh, hop in the car. You don’t want to get sick. Okay, so…_ ” the rustle of the papers told Tsukishima that Bokuto was serious about this, “ _mama crow is in South America. Living nicely_.”  
“Don’t care.”  
“ _The sniper combo is traveling Russia in search for who knows what. Currently in St. Petersburg_.”  
“I care even less about them,” but his voice didn’t really approve of it.  
“ _And dearest freckle-man is enjoying his new, married life in Hawaii. Seriously? Hawaii? That’s so romantic,”_  Bokuto says wistfully. “ _So, let us not prolong this anymore,_ ” he said in a business voice, as Tsukishima turned around and made eye contact with the chauffeur, “ _get in the car, get the information out of the subject and then you’ll get a ride home. Easy, peasy._ ”  
  
Tsukishima hated feeling cornered. He also hated when Bokuto somehow manages to corner him like this. And what he hated the most was when he was being underestimated. The chauffeur didn’t look at him even once as he walked over and entered the car and Tsukishima made sure to close the window between them. He didn’t feel like talking.  
  
“Watch what you wish for, Bokuto-san,“ Tsukishima grit out and closed the line.  
  
The car disappeared into the cold night.


	2. The Maldives

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Here's a chapter :)

The ride was long. And it was to be expected. The Fukurodani base was out of town, hidden between the trees and blending in with nature. The whole complex was underground- vast and rich, equipped with the best technology there is. Scanning and tracking systems were first class, operated by Akaashi Keiji. Bokuto was the face and the force, but he’d be captured in a blink without Keiji’s support from the shadows. It was Akaashi that sent chills down Tsukishima’s spine, not Bokuto. He’s wary of Bokuto only when the guy goes completely crazy – “kill first, ask questions later”.

It took two hours to arrive. The cabin was as beautiful as ever. Tsukishima visited on several occasions, but he never stayed for too long. The car stopped in front of the curvy stone path that led to the heavy oak door. Tall pine trees loomed all around them, the needles catching frost from chilly night. The windows were covered with dark brown curtains, barely letting any light from the inside seep out. The smoke was coming out of the chimney, promising warm and welcoming environment inside.

Tsukishima’s shoes clicked over the stone path, hands deep in his pockets. The guy that brought him here was carrying his bag- he insisted. From the corner of his eye, Tsukishima could spot cameras set up high in the pine trees. The automated front door will open in three, two, one-

“KEI!”

Sometimes, Tsukishima wanted so badly to turn back the time and have Kuroo actually headshot him back at the Maldives.

“Who the hell allowed you to call me by my first name?” Tsukishima spat out, stepping inside briskly and taking off his coat. “And what are you doing here? Weren’t you in South Africa, visiting your monkey cousins?”

The redhead tsked, taking the bag from the chauffeur, “Well someone’s in a bad mood.” He ignored the glare from Tsukishima and made his way into the living room. “Bokuto invited me. Also, I had some business in town.”

Tendou was the last person Tsukishima wanted to see tonight. He wanted to ask why Bokuto invited him, but then again, the Fukurodani leader rarely does anything logically.

“Where’s Bokuto? I haven’t got the whole day,” the blond said and threw Tendou another glare, almost ripping his bag out of the man’s hands.

Tendou didn’t look bothered: “Downstairs. Told me to feed you then bring you down.”

“I’m not hungry. Let’s go,” Tsukishima sped past the maid that was holding the tray with tea and sandwiches. Any and all desire to eat has evaporated the moment Bokuto called him over. Tendou nodded an apology to the maid and sighed, following Tsukishima to the elevator.

“You do know this is not going to be over fast,” Tendou said.

“I don’t need you to tell me how my own job works.” For some reason, Tsukishima felt more on the edge than before. Is it because it wasn’t Akaashi that greeted him? Or maybe it’s just Tendou and his presence? The guy annoyed him from the moment Tsukishima laid his eyes on him five years ago. They worked in the same field of interrogation, except Tendou wasn’t a doctor.

He was everything else.

“No need to be so grumpy. It’s not like you’ve never done this before. You’re not a virgin.” They stepped inside and Tendou pressed the button. Instead of going up, the elevator headed downwards, leading them towards the facility.

“Will you shut up?”

“No.”

“I’ll punch you.”

“No, you won’t.” Tendou grinned. “You’re not the punching type of guy. If you were, you’d be even more dangerous. But you prefer brain puzzles, right? Fist fighting is too low brow, ne?”

“I have bad days,” Tsukishima gritted out, thunderous look on his face. If he didn’t need his bag, he’d consider shoving it down Tendou’s throat.

“Like today?”

“Especially today.”

“Ah.”

The elevator stopped and the doors opened. The hall in front of them was completely white with white-gray and yellow carpet. Neat. Dustless. There were two additional halls to the left and right.

The right one held ‘prisoners’, captives, people Fukurodani wanted alive first, then dead, the “questionnaire” room, as Bokuto called it.

The hall forward led towards the lab and control center. Akaashi’s place. The hall to the left was the biggest section. It held offices, rooms for some Fukurodani members, hospital wing for injured members, artillery range, entertainment center, huge dining room and kitchen, lounge room with glowing waterfall walls and piano as icing on the elegant cake. Anything that people from Fukurodani would need to relax and recover.

Tsukishima turned sharply to the right. He expected Bokuto to be with the troublesome captive. And seeing that Tendou didn’t stop him just proved his assumption.

“So! Why this case?”

Tsukishima didn’t bother to even look at Tendou.

“I mean,” the redhead continued talking as if Tsukishima gave him the friendliest response ever, “you refused job after job for two years. Sure the Karasuno fell apart, but that couldn’t be helped.  If I were you-“

“But you’re not,” Tsukishima interrupted him, stopping abruptly in front of the gray, metal door. It was so sudden that Tendou ran into him. He ran a pass card through the scanner on the side and the door clicked open. “Go back and drink tea,” and before Tendou could respond, Tsukishima stepped inside and slammed the door shut in his face.

The lights flickered on. There was a pristine white bed in the middle of the room with metal shelves alongside the walls, filled to the brim with every type of medicine he could ever need for his... interrogation. A tall leather chair was in the corner of the room, next to the writing table. The room was pristine white and sterile- Tsukishima can still smell the disinfecting product in the air. The condition of the room was so good one could do a surgery in it.

Tsukishima’s shoes clicked loudly on the tiles while he moved to the desk. There was a single folder on it, blue, with red tape wrapped around it. Medical files that Bokuto acquired on the man. Or rather, Akaashi.

Akaashi’s absence was unsettling. Tsukishima is not the best friends with the guy, nor he wants to be. However, if Akaashi is not here, then where is he? The guy extremely rarely leaves Bokuto’s side. Is that why Tendou’s here? If that’s true, then they picked a wrong guy to babysit him.

The soft beep outside of the room signaled that someone swiped their card on the reader. And sure enough, the door opened and two Fukurodani henchmen dragged in the unconscious guy. Bokuto followed after them, closing the door and greeting Tsukishima with the widest smile in the world.

“Tsukki! So happy you could come!”

Tsukishima regarded him with ‘are you fucking with me’ look as he took off his suit jacket and remained in a red button up shirt.

“Skip the false pleasantries,” he said while pulling on the gloves. “How long has he been unconscious?”

Bokuto didn’t look happy that his attempt to chit chat is skipped, but business came first so he didn’t complain. Loudly. He sighed and crossed his arms: “Fifteen minutes. He kept yelling how he doesn’t know shit and how he wishes he could forget ‘wherever this is’.”

Tsukishima looked over to the guy. Bruises and scratches covered his face and neck, and as the henchmen undressed him, he noticed that his chest was also covered in bruises.

“You know, if you want information, you ought to not kill the person that has it,” Tsukishima walked over to the bed once the guys laid the captive in it, motionless and only in underwear. Bokuto stood on the other side, hands on his hips.

“I should have trusted my gut and not hire him. Akaashi said the guy’s slate was ‘clean’ and nothing suspicious about it but...” Bokuto sighed.

Tsukishima stared at him then pressed fingers against the patient’s pulse. Weak. Breathing shallow. He grabbed the man’s jaw and forced it open- missing one, two, three teeth. Probably from punching. A cut in the tongue suggested that he bit down on it so he doesn’t yell in pain.

“So, um...” Bokuto started, making Tsukishima look up at him.

“What?”

“You think you can do it?”

“Who knows,” Tsukishima pulled back, stopping his examination. “His head is busted that’s for sure so the chances that he has real amnesia are rising.” He took off the gloves with a snap, “And if he didn’t have one before, you probably caused one.”

“Shit, okay... can you cure it?”

Tsukishima didn’t look impressed by the question and Bokuto didn’t dare repeat it. An awkward silence filled the room.

“You can leave,” Tsukishima said and sat down in the chair at the desk.  “He won’t wake up soon.”

Bokuto groaned- he didn’t look like he wanted to leave. It was annoying. Tsukishima slammed the folder onto the desk loudly, making the other jump in surprise.

“Even when he wakes up I won’t be able to instantly get you information. He’s not a pocket for me to turn inside out and spill all the info. So stop being an annoyance. I’ll call you if something turns up,” Tsukishima said while flipping through the medical pages.

“Fine, fine! You don’t want me here, I get it,” Bokuto yelled and opened the door of the room. “I’m expecting good news. Don’t disappoint me.” He let the door slam close after exiting, leaving Tsukishima alone.

Cold sweat rolled down his neck. But he didn’t feel guilty. The guy kidnaped him on the street, in the middle of the night. Tsukishima was pissed and he wasn’t about to sugarcoat his words and make himself more likable. Not like that was possible anyway. A good portion of mafia houses hated his guts. Somehow, Karasuno tolerated him. He even made a close friend and they were a good tag team while Karasuno was still active.

How did everything disappear overnight?

Tsukishima took off his glasses and buried his face in hands. The last mission he was on... Maldives...

***Two years ago - August 15th, 10:32pm, Malé, Maldives***

“I feel uneasy...” Yamaguchi said. He was sitting on the floor, next to the balcony door. It was a hot night with no wind. The town outside was lively, full of energy and happiness. The hotel room where Tsukishima and Yamaguchi were at was stifling as well as the only safe place for them tonight.

The laptop in Tsukishima’s hands made beeps every now and then, as he went through the security systems, breaking down doors one by one. He said nothing on Yamaguchi’s comment- he was feeling uneasy as well. No point in making his friend more anxious.

“When are they picking us up again?”

“1:20am.”

“So far...”

“Hn.”

Tsukishima’s fingers were flying over the keyboard with lightning speed. The Shiratorizawa security system was not complex, but instead big, branching off into million directions. To take it down without being spotted he had to be extremely careful. He has never failed before and he doesn’t plan to fail today either.

The rush of footsteps in front of the door had Yamaguchi reach for the gun that was resting next to him. Tsukishima had stopped typing, not moving from his spot. Very slowly, Yamaguchi walked over to the door and leaned on the wall next to it. Shouting, more running, then silence.

A calm before the storm.

Tsukishima didn’t wait. With few clicks on the keyboard, he deleted all of the data, all of the work he did for breaking into Shiratorizawa’s database. With another few clicks, the hard drive was destroyed from inside out. He was on his feet as the laptop slowly self-destruct.

In silence, oppressing heat and loud thundering of their hearts, they waited.

The knob clicked. Yamaguchi looked over to Tsukishima, who nodded, his gun with a silencer at the ready.

It was over in seconds. As soon as the door opened and the guy stepped in, Yamaguchi knocked him out by slamming his gun in the back of the guy’s head. The second guy didn’t get a chance to aim because Tsukishima had shut him up with a single bullet to his forehead.

They had no time to waste.

The hall looked longer now than it was before. As if they will never reach the stairs. Sounds of gunfire came from the upper floors, so Tsukishima grabbed Yamaguchi for his shoulder, turning him around. “They have the roof. The garage is our only way out,” Tsukishima explained in a hushed tone, peering over the edge of the wall to see if anyone’s coming.

The staircases looked clear.

“Now!”

They didn’t have time to get down step by step. Jumping over three steps at the time, they stumbled onto the third floor. Another long hallway. Screaming from the upper floors. An explosion. The hotel started shaking in its roots and mortar fell a few feet away from where they were standing, dust covering their hair and clothes. Time was running out.

Second floor. They ran into a woman who screamed. Before Tsukishima could shut her up (with a bullet of course), Yamaguchi knocked her out . At the disapproving look from Tsukishima, he shrugged: “Not her fault that assholes like us are residing in her hotel.”

First floor. The lobby was right underneath their feet. They couldn’t hear the others anymore, but that didn’t mean they were safe. The car was still ways away.

Lobby. Staircases to the garage. Black sedan parked near the exit, just in case.

And one bullet barely missing Tsukishima’s head.

“Looky, looky, what the lucky cat brought me.”

Tsukishima’s hand stopped on the handle of the door. He was in tough situations before but now... he’s sure he’s not getting out of here alive.

Hanging upside down from the ceiling and looking through the sniper visor, Kuroo Tetsurou grinned from ear to ear.

“How come we always meet under such horrific circumstances?”

Yamaguchi’s hands tightened around his weapon, but he couldn’t do anything- Kuroo had him in his aim now. “Let’s not do silly things.”

Tsukishima didn’t know whether Kuroo planned to kill Yamaguchi or no, but he didn’t want to risk it.

“You’re here to get me, aren’t you?” he asked, trying to keep his voice steady. Yamaguchi’s pale and shocked expression, Tsukishima will never forget.

“Not really,” Kuroo drawled, “but it is a bonus.” He returned his aim onto Tsukishima and nodded at him to move away from the car.

“Yamaguchi dearest, be very kind to me tonight. Get in the car and drive away. Don’t wait for Tsukki. Okay?” Kuroo asked with a slight smirk. Yamaguchi looked over at Tsukishima as if looking for a sign to attack, to duck, to do anything about this situation. But his friend was staring Kuroo down, hands balled up into fists at his sides.

One. Two. Three steps. Tsukishima moved away from the car and made his way slowly over to Kuroo, who kept grinning.

“Tsukki, I-“

“Go.” Tsukishima looked up at the ceiling of the garage. Shouting could be heard through the walls. “You don’t have much time left.”

He didn’t turn around to look at Yamaguchi leaving. Just the sound of the engine told him that Yamaguchi made it out of there. He’ll be safe, Tsukishima repeated to himself, Yamaguchi wasn’t incompetent.

Kuroo remained silent when Tsukishima reached him. Then another bullet whizzed past Tsukishima’s head, startling him. He turned around and spotted a guy falling over at the elevator. Kuroo landed on his feet and wrapped his hand few times around the rope, then pulling down hard, getting more of the rope to fall through the shaft on the ceiling.

“Is this what people call ‘end of one’s rope’?” Kuroo mused while he worked the excess rope around Tsukishima’s waist. The blond glared at him.

“Why didn’t you kill me?”

Kuroo grinned and wrapped his free hand around Tsukishima’s waist. He held on tightly to the rope with the other.

“Because it would be a complete waste of beauty and talent.” Pressing the button on his belt, the rope pulled them both up, through the opening in the ceiling, ten seconds before the garage was swarmed with Shiratorizawa henchmen.

***Present day***

It looked like Tsukishima dozed off because he was startled by the groaning of the patient.

Right. He was at Bokuto’s place. The idiot dragged him over to “question” the guy about missing diamonds. It was a hassle. Unnecessary. Something he’s not doing anymore, what he left behind for the sake of his friend and his own sanity.

Tsukishima massaged his temples and placed the glasses back on his face. He turned in his chair to look at the guy in the bed. Decently built, around 170cm tall, weight 80kg, no allergic reactions to penicillin or any other medication. Didn’t consume drugs in last twelve months.

Or that’s what his medical folder says.

But there was something off with the guy. Tsukishima couldn’t put his finger on it.

He got back up and started thoroughly checking the guy. From his neck, over the chest, every bone and curve, every cut and scar. Minutes turned into hours, and his work seemed endless, washing the wounds and testing the reflexes.

And then he came across of it. The symbol between the big toe and second toe. Small, barely visible, easily mistaken for a mole.

Tsukishima stepped away from the body.

“Bokuto-san... what did you get yourself into...?”

to be continued...


	3. Prelude to Disaster

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> “Didn’t you say this wasn’t any of your business?” Bokuto asked slowly, a dark glint in his eyes. “You didn’t want to come here in the first place, for a simple interrogation. I had to blackmail you, remember?”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This chapter ended up being way shorter than I intended. But I decided that trying to shove in more stuff just to make it longer would make it look all messy. I still hope you'll like it.  
> ILY BREE I HOPE YOU FEEL BETTER SOON!

Kuroo groaned loudly into the receiver. “For real Bokuto? I thought we agreed we won’t call him!?”  
  
Bokuto fell onto the sofa in the lounging area, face first, with a huff: “What was I supposed to do!? Akaashi’s not here, Tendou couldn’t do shit and stupid Oikawa is undercover.” He kicked the cushions off the couch as he nervously moved legs up and down, “Tsukishima is last resort. As in **LAST** last. There is literally _no one_ else in this town that can do the successful interrogation.”  
  
The roar of the engine interrupted the conversation for a moment: “I get it that you’re worried, but this is taking it a bit too far, don’t you think? This is Akaashi we’re speaking off. If he wanted he’d kick both of our asses and then some.”  
  
“I don’t know Kuroo, it’s been twenty-four hours and he still hasn’t sent any notes yet,” Bokuto says and sits up to reach for his second phone, checking if there are any missed calls or text messages. “And you know how anal he gets when it comes to work. It’s as if he has OCD or something.”  
  
Kuroo sighed: “...fine. Just. Don’t anger him.”  
  
“Who?”  
  
“Tsukishima! You know what he does for a living and what he did in the past. He needs a second to kill you when you’re least expecting it.” Bokuto wanted to interrupt him with an indignant yell, but Kuroo continued: “Just don’t step on his toes. Please.”  
  
Bokuto wanted to retort to that but was interrupted by the door opening. With blue folder in his hand, Tsukishima stood there, hand in pant’s pocket, looking all disheveled and tired. The mafia boss nodded at him: “Okay, I gotta go now. Keep checking.” Tossing the phone aside he wanted to stand up but Tsukishima motioned for him to keep sitting.  
  
“I’ll take a seat too. We need to talk.”  
  
That didn’t sound good. Tsukishima never personally seeks Bokuto out to tell him information. He likes to make Bokuto come personally to get it even though it could easily be sent to him by some guy from Fukurodani. He also looked really tired right, compared to the endless amount of anger he arrived with.  
He tossed the folder onto the coffee table between them and sat down on the lounge chair opposite of Bokuto.  
  
“Have you ever heard of an organization called ‘ _Orion_ ’?” he asked.  
  
Bokuto sat up straight in his seat, eyes glued onto Tsukishima’s tired face. “Sounds familiar.”  
  
“It should be. And it has nothing to do with the stars,” Tsukishima leans forward and flips the folder open. A picture was in there that he took earlier and printed out. An enhanced picture of a tattoo that looks like a mole with a thin circle around it.  
  
“It’s a terroristic organization that’s been causing havoc in past few months.” Bokuto slowly picked up the folder while Tsukishima continued to speak. “They were responsible for the massacre in Osaka, three bomb explosions in Yokohama and an attempt to hack and break into National Bank.”  
  
When Bokuto said nothing and kept staring at the information he was holding in his hands, Tsukishima narrowed his eyes at him. “What are you do-“  
  
“That will be enough, Tsukishima-kun,” Bokuto said and abruptly stood up. “Thank you for your services, the driver will be here soon to take you back home.”  
  
“Wait a minute, I didn’t-“  
  
“This is more than enough,” Bokuto closed the folder. “We will keep the prisoner. Tendou will keep an eye on him. You can pick up your stuff and wait upstairs for Konoha to take you back.”  
  
“But I-“  
  
“We will use all measures of protection to return you safely to-“  
  
“Bokuto-san, will you _SHUT UP_ and let me _ASK_!?”  
  
Bokuto, whose hand was on the door handle, turned around. As he was rambling, he didn’t make any eye contact with Tsukishima, but now that he did, it made the blond swallow down his questions for a second.  
  
“Didn’t you say this wasn’t any of your business?” Bokuto asked slowly, a dark glint in his eyes. “You didn’t want to come here in the first place, for a simple interrogation. I had to blackmail you, remember?”  
  
Despite the chill running down his spine, Tsukishima stood up. “But I believe I deserve some kind of explanation after running into something like that.”  
  
“This?” Bokuto raised the folder. “This is not your concern anymore. I’ll have someone bring you your stuff and escort you upstairs.”  
  
He opened the door and paused, “Also... **_never_** raise your voice at me again. I like you, but it might be your last,” Bokuto said in a deadly calm tone. And with a slam of the door, he was gone.  
  
=()=  
  
Tsukishima didn’t know how he managed to reach reception area in the cottage, above the Fukurodani base. He couldn’t feel his legs, there was a lingering sense of death crawling down his spine and he was feeling extremely nauseous.  
  
He wanted to get out of here. No. He _needed_ to get out of here.  
  
What was he thinking, trying to get information about the situation? This wasn’t his mafia household, Bokuto didn’t owe him anything and Tsukishima didn’t care. Right? So why? Why did he have to put himself in such position?  
  
Clutching harder at his bag, Tsukisima sighed as his body sunk into soft cushions of the sofa. The fire crackled and soft light filled the room. He was still waiting for Konoha, who was currently getting a briefing with other Fukurodani members.  
  
Tsukishima didn’t get to interrogate the captive. When he discovered the tattoo on the man’s foot, he immediately left to inform Bokuto about it. It was more urgent than asking the idiot about the diamonds he stole. Why was a member of such organization in Fukurodani? Was Bokuto really so desperate that he needed someone like him? No. The shock on the man’s face told him he had no idea what was going on.  
  
Which meant that this was a guy who either left Orion and was looking for a side job, or he was sent onto the infiltration mission. The latter seemed more likely. Which further meant that this base was-  
  
The sound of the front door opening and car keys clinking stopped Tsukishima’s train of thought. He felt his body get tense in alert, but he didn’t bother turning around to look at the man that just arrived. Tsukishima knew that presence all too well.  
  
“Tsukki?” The guy paused and took a turn to the living room once he spotted him. “Why are you up here? I thought Bokuto invited you to interrogate some poor sod.”  
  
Tsukishima didn’t respond at first. He hated Kuroo’s inquisitive mindset. The urge to get out of this place only increased.  
  
Seeing that Kuroo was still standing in the doorway, waiting for an answer, told Tsukishima he won’t leave until he gets some kind of response. Tsukishima sighed.  
  
“I’m done.”  
  
“Already!?” Kuroo looked taken aback. “Fuck, I knew you were good, but not that good.”  
  
“I didn’t interrogate the guy.”  
  
Kuroo narrowed his eyes. “Wait, what?”  
  
Tsukishima shrugged.  
  
“Hold on,” Kuroo slowly walked over and stood in the middle of the room, long black coat, messy hair and everything. “If you didn’t do any questioning, why are you leaving then?”  
  
Should he tell him? Bokuto will eventually tell him- these two are like hand and glove. Tsukishima can’t remember a time when they didn’t watch each other’s back while cursing and yelling at each other. The sick feeling in his stomach hit him full force again. Maybe he should've taken those sandwiches. If he was lucky, they'd be poisonous and he'd be dead now.  
  
“Hey.”  
  
Both Tsukishima and Kuroo looked over to the door. Konoha just arrived and Tsukishima stood up.  
  
“Don't ignore me! I just asked you something!” Kuroo raised his voice and grabbed Tsukishima for his shoulder.  
  
The exhaustion was finally setting in Tsukishima’s mind and body. He didn’t want to explain himself anymore, to anyone.  
  
With a hard tug, he freed his shoulder from Kuroo’s grasp and gritted out: “You’re already here. Why don’t you go ask him and leave me the fuck alone?”  
  
Kuroo didn’t know whether he was shocked or insulted. He was head of Nekoma, after all. Didn’t he deserve some respect around here? But he said nothing. Tsukishima looked tired and on the edge, most likely because of that owl-head, and he was always respectful towards him in the past, so Kuroo didn’t hold a grudge.  
  
After a long look at the blond, Kuroo nodded at Konoha: “Take him back safely.”  
  
“Of course. Let’s go Tsukishima-san.”  
  
The night was too long, Kuroo finally decided, as he watched Tsukishima leave.  
  
And Akaashi is missing...

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> -EVIL CACKLE-  
> ALSO  
> DANGEROUS BOKUTO IS HOT BOKUTO  
> JUST SAYING


	4. The morning, the afternoon, the evening

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> “That will be everything I need. I’d prefer that the room is somewhere in this building along with the whole set up. Nothing a billionaire can’t afford.”
> 
> Looking over the items, he huffed and picked up the phone. “Send Shirabu in.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Warning: Blood. Bokuto being angry and playing with a knife. You've been warned.

After Tsukishima came back home, he went immediately to bed. His body and brain refused to function. It was 6am when he fell asleep, red light of the digital clock blinking through his eyelids as he drifted away.

He was out of it for several hours and woke up around eleven am. His head was throbbing fiercely, so he throdded off to the bathroom to find some painkillers. Refusing to glance in the mirror and see how disastrous he looks, he stepped in the shower and let the warm water wake him up and bring him back to life.

Slowly, headache subsided and he made himself a huge mug of coffee while flipping through yesterday’s newspaper. Nothing unusual happened. The stocks were on the rise, no major crimes committed, government refusing to raise the wages. And yet, there’s this chill running down Tsukishima’s spine. He couldn’t shake it off no matter how hard he tried to ignore it.

Going on with his day, doing laundry, cooking, speaking to his brother on the phone- none of that managed to chase away the dark thoughts. Whenever he stopped working and just sat down in the living room to watch TV, the questions would just pile up.

Who was that man? Did Akaashi recruit him on purpose? If he did, where is he now to handle him? Is Fukurodani base in danger? Under surveillance? Why was Kuroo there? And Tendou.

_Is any one of them safe now_?

As soon as that thought went through Tsukishima’s head, a shiver went down his spin. He stood up abruptly- he didn’t feel safe here. He didn’t know why- Konoha did everything to get him back home without being noticed by police or anyone in the vicinity. But he has this awful feeling of being watched.

Once he pulled on the blinds, Tsukishima quickly walked over to the hidden storage area. He built it way back when he was in Karasuno. There was a briefcase there with the necessities- an untracable cellphone (courtesy of Akaashi), credit cards with money he saved for emergencies (around five thousand dollars), a gun with silencer (the same one he used at Maldives), few cases with bullets, his trusty knife and scalpel as well as few small bottles of undiluted venom, hidden inside of the epi-pen cases.

Seeing that everything was in order, he picked up the phone and dialed the number he thought he’d never have to deal again.

The voice on the other line greeted him with fake cheerfulness. “ _My, my. This is a number I didn’t see in three years._ ”  
Tsukishima was too busy pulling on the coat and getting the keys to the apartment to respond in a sassy way.

“Is he still in business?”  
“ _What does that matter to you? Aren’t you OUT of  the business_?” the voice snarked at him.  
“Just put him on the goddamn line Semi-san, it’s important,” Tsukishima barked into the receiver and stepped outside, locking the door.  
“ _Whoa, foul mood and language_!”  
“Listen. He won’t be happy that you’re delaying me.”  
“ _Fine, fine,_ ” Semi Eita said in a bored tone. “ _I’m switching the line in three, two..._ ”

Tsukishima didn’t talk to Ushijima ever since he supplied him with posion three years ago. The head of Shiratorizawa said that he owed him one for those and they never talked ever since.

It was time to pay up.

The phone ringed only for a moment.

“ _Ushijima on the line. Long time no speak, Tsukishima-kun_.”  
Tsukishima sighed: “I’d love that we didn’t have to talk now either.”  
“ _But?_ ”  
“Orion.”  
A brief silent pause.  
“ _Tell me where you are- I’m sending people to pick you up_.”

=0=0=0=

Ushijima’s office looked as Tsukishima remembered it. Large oval table with dozen computer screens on the desk and walls next to him. Data rolled down on the screen, showing stocks, money rolling in and out, leaving more than decent sum behind. Ushijima Corporation was one of the wealthiest compaines that ruled the market in the last ten years. The current CEO of the company, Ushijima Wakatoshi, took over his father as the guy started descending into insanity. Gambling, manhunting, prostitutes- the old guy dabbled in everything. No one knows how he died a few years ago.

No one except Ushijima Jr. and Tsukishima. The topic was never brought up between them or anyone else.

Placing himself in the leather chair across of Ushijima, Tsukishima finally took a deep, calming breath. Even if he was followed, no one from Orion would dare to charge in the main quarters of the corporation. Not without being spotted and dealt with.

“I think you owe me an explanation,” Ushijima said as he sat down in his chair. With a press of the button, the monitors moved out of the way so he is face to face with Tsukishima.

“I’d give you one if I had one,” Tsukishima sighed, rubbing his temples. “I think I found out by accident as well. But terroristic groups like ‘Orion’ take pride in leaving marks behind.”

Tsukishima explained to Ushijima what happened back at the Fukurodani base, and Ushijima’s face was getting darker and darker as the story moved on.

“And he just kicked you out?”  
“I think he had a tunnel vision at the moment,” Tsukishima said with a shrug. “Akaashi-san is missing and he probably feels like beheaded now that he’s not around. You know that Akaashi-san is intelligence and information tower for them. Without him, they might as well be blind and deaf.”

“He could have kept you. Last time I checked, you gather information faster than anyone. Not even Tendou is a match for you,” Ushijima said sincerely.  
Tsukishima had to hold back a snort: “I didn’t appear friendly when he picked me up, and my attitude remained negative, up until I found out who the guy was.”  
“Still...”  
The blond shook his head: “It doesn’t matter. I’m glad I could leave. I needed to rest a bit and clear my mind.” Resting his elbows on handles of the chair, Tsukishima entwined fingers under his chin.

“If my assumption is correct,” he started, “Akaashi-san found out who the man was and went out to investigate. But since he didn’t warn Bokuto-san what he was doing or who the man was, no one at the base is considering him missing in action. This would explain why he’s not with Fukurodani members and interrogating the guy himself.”

Ushijima stood up and walked over to the bar and pulled out two glasses and filled them with whiskey. He handed one to Tsukishima, who took it blindly because he was still talking and took the other one for himself.

“Now, for the very stretching assumptions. If the infiltrator was left unsupervised, he could’ve scanned out the base and sent the information back to his superiors. But if that was true, Orion would’ve attacked by now. So maybe,” Tsukishima stood up and started pacing around the room, “he tried to send the information. Akaashi-san caught him trying to do it. He attacked the guy, giving him a blunt force hit in the lower part of the head, causing the temporary amnesia, for stalling purposes. After telling the Fukurodani guys that asshole stole the diamonds, he left to get the information back before it was too late.”

“But why didn’t he tell Fukurodani members the truth?” Ushijima asked.

Tsukishima took a huge sip of the drink and sighed. “Pride.”

Ushijima quirked his eyebrow.

“His goddamn pride,” Tsukishima repeated and placed the glass on the table. “Akaashi-san was the one to recruit him, according to Bokuto-san and documents that I had access to. So he felt obligated to fix his mistake. Bringing a member of terorist organization into the mafia folds is dangerous for the family.”

After a moment of silence with them staring at different walls, Ushijima asks: “Then why are you here? Why didn’t you go back and warn them?”

“Because I think I am being followed. I can’t be too sure.” Tsukishima turned towards Ushijima with a wide smile. “And so, I have a favor to ask of you.”

Tsukishima knew Ushijima had no way out of this one. He owed him a favor, multiple favors, but Tsukishima was kind enough to say one favor. He glared at the blond for a moment the finished off his drink with a sigh.

“What do you need?”

“It’s a list I made in the car on the way over,” Tsukishima said and handed Ushijima over a piece of paper. “That will be everything I need. I’d prefer that the room is somewhere in this building along with the whole set up. Nothing a billionaire can’t afford.”

Looking over the items, Ushijima huffed and picked up the phone. “Send Shirabu in.”

=0=0=0=

Tendou stepped out of the sterile room, a grim expression on his face. He nodded softly at two men standing in the front of it.

“He woke up. He also says that he can’t remember a thing. But there’s that spark in his eye that’s saying more than his filthy mouth.”

“Don’t worry,” Kuroo said as Bokuto marched into the room, “we’ll take it from here.”

The door closed with a loud slam behind them and the prisoner jumped in his bed. Bokuto was silent, arms crossed in front of him while he held the folder. A folder Tsukishima handed him earlier.

“How curious,” he said, tossing the documents on the table and flipping them open. Kuroo shrugged off his coat and remained in a red dress shirt with a gun holstered on his belt. The prisoner’s hands and legs jerked, but he couldn’t get off the table.

“You say you can’t remember anything, but a guy that just took a look at you found out more than we expected,” Bokuto said gently. Way too gently.

All of the color seemed to drain from guy’s face.

“Also, you should be very happy I snapped at him and sent him away,” Bokuto closed the folder with a thud and turned to look at the squirming man. “Do you know what he would have done to you?”

He walked over and placed hands on his hips: “See those bottles there?” he nodded to the wall on their left. Both Kuroo and prisoner glanced at it. “Half of them are medications, antibiotics and remedies we use for our members. 25% of it is drugs. 15% of is undiluted poison and 10% are antidotes.”

He leans forward and grabs man’s chin. The guy yelps in pain. “The guy that you assholes kidnapped had me memorize all of this like the back of my hand so I don’t kill myself by accident.” Bokuto raised the man’s head up and then let it fall back, with a hard smack on the table, a sound as if you dropped melon on concrete. The sheets, pillow, and mattress were all gone- the hard metal table was left behind with a leather harness holding the prisoner down.

“Tsukki would’ve tortured you for hours, days, weeks. He enjoys that- to see people squirm underneath his watchful gaze as he slowly administrates the poison or dangerous medicine. I’ve seen him do it. The guy getting the 'medicine' goes pale, then his heart starts beating like crazy. He is looking death straight in the eyes- but doesn’t die. Again. And again. And again. With no mercy. Tsukki repeats it until he gets what he wants.” Bokuto seemed in deep thought as he spoke, going through medicine on the shelf.

“I’m different, though,” he looks over at Kuroo, who grins widely and goes for his pocket. He pulls out a knife, neatly wrapped in leather sheaths. Bokuto pulls it out and without a pause, he rams the blade into the man’s thigh.

“ **I DON’T HAVE TIME FOR YOUR GAMES**!” Bokuto hollered, his voice easily overpowering the scream from the man on the table.

“YOU TOOK SOMETHING DEAR FROM ME,” his hand carved down the man’s thigh, blood spilling everywhere, “AND I WILL HAVE IT **_BACK_**!” He pulled the blade out and pressed it against the man’s throat, “So speak. Speak, _dipshit,_ before I carve you out, piece by piece, like a pig! _WHO THE FUCK ARE YOU, WHERE THE FUCK IS YOUR BASE AND WHO THE FUCK IS RULING IT_! _**NOW**_!”

No comprehendable words left the prisoner’s mouth so Bokuto didn’t stab him again. He waited for a few moments to see if the guy will talk after he calms down. His cries were mixes of ‘ _please stop_ ’ and ‘ _I know nothing, I don’t know my name_ ’. It wasn’t making Bokuto’s mood any better.

“What do you think Kuroo?”

Kuroo looked up at him.

“Does he needs this toe?”

The man screamed.

“NO PLEASE! STOP!”

“I think it’s useless,” Kuroo said casually and looked back down at the phone he was playing with.

“I think so too,” Bokuto confirmed.

The small toe was gone in one slash. Bokuto didn’t even stop to ask again and just cut off the second one.

“Ah, I could do this whole night,” he said, ignoring the red patches of blood all over his pants and shirt. It dripped on the tiles, stained the table and equipment.

Kuroo’s phone rang and it drew Bokuto’s attention. He raised his hand: “I’ll take this outside. You continue. Don’t worry.” The other male only nodded and returned his attention to the prisoner.

-0-0-0-

Kuroo stepped outside and answered.

“When I saw the number I almost got a heart attack.”

“ _I’m sorry to scare you Kuroo-san. I’m using this number for safety measures_.”

“What safety measures?” Kuroo frowned. “Did something happen?”

“ _Not yet_ ,” Tsukishima said, “ _but I didn’t want to take any chances. I’m at safe space now, not back at my apartment_.”

“Are you sure it’s safe? I can always come pick you up if needed.”

“ _Not necessary. I checked in a favor with Ushijima-san. I’m fine_.”

Kuroo scowled. “I don’t like that guy.”

“ _Your beef with him doesn’t matter now. What matters is that you listen to me very carefuly. The lives of Fukurodani members might be at stake here_.”

“...shit. I’m listening...”

 

TBC...

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I will try to post one more chapter before holidays. I hope you like the story so far! Thank you all so much for the comments and kudos, I love you all so much <3 <3


	5. The Sun filled fields

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> So sorry for the wait! I was a bit uninspired to write recently so the chapter was delayed ;; I hope you like it!
> 
> To everyone that leaves comments and kudos- you are the best in the world! I love you all <3

The automated door opened with a soft swish and Kuroo stepped in. His hands are in his pockets as he stares at the control board in the dimly lit room. There was only one other person there, but he left as soon as Kuroo stepped in, so he was left alone.

Alone to admire all the work Akaashi has done in his life and for Fukurodani.

The Information Center was built completely soundproof and isolated. Computers are aligned alongside the walls and digital maps covered almost the whole surface of the walls. In the center was Mother Board, the big computer where Akaashi usually sits and sends out the orders.

The leather chair is now empty. The lights blinked softly, green and yellow, showing that the information within the computer is locked and safe.

Kuroo’s fingers dug hard into the backrest. How did they slip up? What did Akaashi do? Was there really no other way? The questions plagued Kuroo’s mind ever since he got off the phone with Tsukishima. He trusted the blond’s intel but hated feeling cornered like this. Having to wait, and more importantly, having to contact THAT guy.

But Orion was a threat for everyone, not just Fukurodani. Their web is as big as mafia’s underground network but, compared to the mafia, they didn’t give a damn about any single member of theirs. Which made the situation extremely dangerous.

Kuroo slowly eased himself into the chair and pressed several buttons on the blinking panel. The screen lit up with numbers scrolling down, going through the database. After several moments, green name started blinking on it and the computer initiated the call.

“ _Hello, helloooo, Akaashi-kuuun~”_

“What kind of greeting is that?” Kuroo spat.

The man, who wasn’t on the screen at first, turned on the video. Upon seeing Kuroo scowling fiercely at him, a huge, snake-like grin split across his face.

“ _Well, well, well... Kuroo-kun is calling me. Are you possessed? Dying? About to die? Nekoma fell apart?_ ” Daishou asked with an excited glint in his eyes.

“Shut up, snake, this isn’t just about me.”

“ _You always say that_ ,” Daishou said, his tone silky smooth. “ _But, in the end, everything comes back to you_.”

Kuroo rolled his eyes. “Instead of jumping to conclusions, how about you fucking listen to me for once?”

“ _Alright, alright_ ,” Daishou raised his hands in defense and then leaned back in his chair. “ _The World is seriously coming to an end if you’re calling me_.”

“Something like that,” with a dark mutter, Kuroo leaned his head on the palm of his hand.  The smile disappeared from Daishou’s face.

“ _Tell me_.”

 Kuroo didn’t take much time to explain the situation to Daishou. The good news is that the information is spreading to the people that can do stuff about the current situation. The bad news is that they are all interested in Akaashi. A person that knows so much that he could overthrow the government if he so chose. Luckily for many, Akaashi was more concerned handling Bokuto and leading the house properly. Covering the destruction Bokuto can leave behind is a 24-hour job.

“ _So, the bastards finally moved into the open_.”

Kuroo squinted at Daishou.

“ _There were rumors from smaller clans about Orion. I didn’t believe them because some of the stories sounded more like fairy tales. People disappearing in the middle of the street, coffee shops, malls, in the broad daylight. But now you tell me that Akaashi-kun has disappeared, Tsukishima-kun is under threat and Fukurodani base might not be safe anymore. If that’s the case, why didn’t Fukurodani guys move yet?_ ”

“Moving the whole base is dangerous,” Kuroo said with a thoughtful frown. “There’s too many people, equipment, the distance to be crossed. They would’ve been noticed not just by Orion, but the police and other authorities.”

“ _What about spying? Cameras, listening, recordings?_ ”

“Tsukishima has hacked the Fukurodani main computer. He has disabled everything that could be disabled- cameras, microphones, recorders, surveillance. He’s running a program on the computer, a scanner of sorts, to inspect the base for intruding elements. If he finds anything, he’ll be able to hack into them and also disable them.”

The suspicious look on Daishou’s face made Kuroo smirk. “Aww, are you worried about our safety?” Daishou almost fell out of the chair.

“No need for that,” Kuroo chuckled. “The guys are doing manual surveillance of the grounds with hand radars and heat detectors. The outside cameras have been reprogrammed and supervised by Tsukishima. If anything suspicious happens, he’ll send a message. So don’t worry!”

“ _I’m not worried_ ,” the snake man hissed. “ _It just seemed very ... unorthodox that you guys chose to stay there even though there’s a chance of invasion and destruction_.”

Kuroo was silent for several moments, the look in his eyes blank. “This place... before Orion, it was the safest place I could think of.”

“ _Ohh? Not Nekoma_?”

Kuroo shot Daishou a smirk: “Not when Kenma’s threatening every day to kill me in my sleep.” A short laugh filled the room and Kuroo finally stood up. “You know what to do, right?”

“ _In Akaashi-san’s words,_ ” the man leaned forward with a huge smile on his face, ready to turn off the camera, “ _information is power, right? I’ll call you._ ”

=0=0=0=

As Bokuto was leaving the sterile room, he ran into Kuroo who just came out from the control center. Covered in blood splatters and with sleeves rolled up, he greeted him briefly.

“Any news?”

Kuroo shook his head and headed down the hallway. Bokuto went silently after him, wiping the blade he used earlier off the sleeve of his shirt.

“The snakes slithered away and Tsuki is on standby. Everything’s quiet. For now.”

The living room was empty when they entered, the waterfall making soft noise in the background. Nekoma leader dropped himself on the sofa and ran hands over his face.

“I wish we weren’t cornered like this,” he said calmly, but the kick to the coffee table was an outlet for his frustration. Bokuto didn’t mind it, that was the fourth table in last two months- he tends to take out the anger on it as well. He poured for them two glasses of whiskey and sat in a lounge chair across of Kuroo.

“...you should change,” Kuroo mumbled, eyeing Bokuto's bloody attire, and then downed his drink in one go. Bokuto just stared, unblinking, not really seeing his friend or listening to him.

“Akaashi... why...”

Kuroo slammed the glass on the table and leaned on his knees, rubbing the temples. “I’ll seriously kick his ass once we save him.”

“Can we actually save him?”

“Of course we can,” Kuroo answered quickly. Too quickly. As if he was trying to convince himself that they are not completely useless. “He’s missing just barely over 24 hours, and the bastards want information. Akaashi won’t break in such a short time, and assholes won’t kill him because it’s too soon.”

Bokuto's stare remained fixated to a spot above Kuroo's head. He wasn’t even drinking. “When I find them...” he said icily, making Kuroo look up, “...I’ll tear them into shreds. Limb by limb.”

“You and me too.”

The room was filled with silence once again.

“The only thing we can do now is to wait.”

“On WHAT!?” Bokuto yelled, tossing the glass against the wall. “A miracle?! On twisted snake people that give zero shit about us?! On Orion to blow us up!? WHAT are we waiting for!?”

Kuroo remained silent, letting Bokuto get it out of his system. Akaashi was the bane of his existence, the essence that kept him going on. 

“We’re waiting on many things. Information for the most part. Which is why I have to leave.”

Bokuto glared at him. “Oh really? You’ll leave as well?”

“What do you mean ‘as well’? If we want to progress I have to go out and get some information. Don’t worry about the base, Tsukishima’s looking after it. He’ll give you a call if something suspicious happens nearby.”

“THAT’S NOT WHAT I MEANT!”

The two men stared at each other for a long while. And Bokuto didn’t have to say anything else- Kuroo completely understood what he meant.

“I have to. You know that.” Nekoma leader stood up. “For Akaashi.”

Silently, he left the room, leaving Bokuto to stare at the filthy wall. The glass and drink stuck to it, slowly gliding down in an irregular pattern. Exhausted, Bokuto fell back into the chair and buried face into his hands.

“...for Akaashi...”

=0=0=0=

The smell of freshly cut grass filled his nostrils. A laugh broke out of his lungs as he ran after the taller boy down the empty, dirt path.

With Sun high up in the blue skies, the warmth of the day made him feel like he was home.  

The green fields felt so familiar and the voice calling him was so warm, echoing comfort, Sun filled promises and days that never end.

**_*smack*_ **

He felt his knees hit the wet grass.

**_*smack*_ **

Tears of happiness glided down his face.

**_*smack*_ **

His hands were warm, gentle.

**_*smack*_ **

His voice promised protection.

**_*smack*_ **

It didn’t hurt. The hits didn’t hurt. They couldn’t break him. They will **_never_** break him.

Once again. _He_ erased all of Akaashi’s pain.

=0=0=0=

“Thank you for everything,” a tall, beautiful man said cheerfully, making the woman at the desk almost squeal in glee.

“It was my pleasure working with you, Oikawa-sama. Come again any time you need help,” she squeaked, seeing the man off out of her office.

After wrapping a scarf around his neck, with a folder under his arm, Oikawa joined man next to the elevator. The guy just nodded curtly at man’s huge smile.

“Iwa-chan! You’re supposed to be more supportive!”

“Supportive of what!?” The ‘Iwa-chan’ snapped. “Of you scamming office ladies so you could use their identities to break down other people’s businesses?”

Oikawa pouted. “You’re reacting as if you’ve never done it before, Iwaizumi- ** _san_** ,” he said and stepped into the elevator next to the other man.

“Not to this extent,” Iwaizumi said, crossing his hands. “This is the third office you sabotaged today. Just what the fuck are you doing? Do you really get off at being barely caught in a crime.”

“WELL-“

“DON’T ANSWER!” Iwaizumi smacked back of Oikawa’s head.

“Iwa-chan! That was SO unnecessary!” Teary eyed, the pretty man stood straighter. His beautiful face was twisted into a frown. “There was a small leak of information from the underground. Apparently, Orion is on the move.”

“What?!”

“I’m just securing our safety,” Oikawa said and raised the folder, then rested it against his shoulder. “The town is restless Iwa-chan,” he said softly and stepped out of the elevator, Iwaizumi following him closely.

“No one will be sleeping tonight.”

 

TBC...

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I hope that Akaashi's scene wasn't too confusing ^^;
> 
> Bree-chan, I hope you like the chapter!


	6. Small things

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> “I will do anything to protect the only family and friends I have. Don’t question my decisions,” he turned around and stepped through the broken door, “you will never know what I endure for them.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Dearest Bree made the art for this story. It's way better than the story, believe me! Go check it out here! We have [Tsukki](http://bree-trash.tumblr.com/post/154303705246/for-aerillaya-thank-you-for-the-mafia-au) being all sneaky and [Bo-chan](http://bree-trash.tumblr.com/post/156650925902/%E3%81%A3%E0%B9%91-%E0%B9%91-aerillayas-mafia-au-next-7) being all badass ;D Shower her art with LOTS of love ;o; I seriously don't deserve it ;;

“I’m fine,” Tsukishima answered mechanically. His eyes were locked onto the computer screen, tracking the codes and monitoring the grounds outside of the Fukurodani base. The clock read 11 pm but he didn’t feel tired at all. His eyes did sting a bit but that’s because from staring at the screen for a long time. It was worth it, he had to do it.

Did he have to do it? There were several moments where Tsukishima questioned himself and his own motives when it came to helping Fukurodani out. He was sure that he was doing all of this for himself, that he didn’t want to get caught, tortured and killed because of the information he holds. But as the day went by, the time passed and more and more people left the Fukurodani base, Tsukishima could feel a knot tying up in his throat.

Where are they going? Are they taking caution not to be followed? Are they armed? Does Bokuto know? Is Kuroo going to be fine? He didn’t want Kuroo to leave the base, his gut feeling was telling him that it was a bad idea, but in his head knew that he had to. Kuroo had to go to Nekoma. He had to go and check on his family.

A place to go to, a place to return to. To depend on. People that would support you and protect you no matter what.

Tsukishima took off his glasses and buried face into his hands. Being by himself is something Tsukishima was used to. Ever since he was a kid, he didn’t mind if he was left by himself or in the company of someone. He’d just do whatever he wanted to do, not minding the others. It drew his babysitters crazy. They didn’t really approve of Tsukishima doing experimental surgeries on birds or lizards he catches in the backyard.

So why now, of all times, did he feel lonely? Seeing Bokuto all dejected and drinking his brains out, is slowly killing him from the inside. It had him switch the camera and watch empty hallway for no reason. Why does he feel an impulse to call him and cheer him up? Support him? He’s not even from his family! And the guy threatened him two times in past 24 hours.

But Tsukishima wanted to be there. He felt isolated in the small apartment that Ushijima secured for him. He places glasses back on his face and sends out few messages to the guards on the posts in the Fukurodani base and one to Nekoma’s informant Kenma. The two have been going back and forth whole day and the guy had been providing information for Tsukishima since he was locked up in here. He can’t leave without protection, this whole situation is making him paranoid.

His phone, the untraceable one that Akaashi gifted him, beeped.

 **Bokuto K** , **11:22 PM**. ‘ _Im sorry I threatened u_ ’

Something in Tsukishima’s stomach dropped through the floor. Tsukishima’s fingers were like a flurry over the phone.

 **Tsukishima K, 11:24 PM.** ‘ _It’s fine I know in what state of mind you are now’_

All of them are in that state of mind- feeling helpless as they waited for something to happen. Something that is out of their reach. If it agitated Tsukishima, he couldn’t imagine how badly it affected Bokuto. Akaashi was his childhood friend after all. And so much more than that.

 **BokutoK, 11:26 PM.** ‘ _Its weird how u seem to understand everythin thats going thru my head_ ’

Blond’s lips quirked at that.

 **TsukishimaK, 11:27 PM.** ‘ _Not my fault you’re easy to read :)_ ‘  
**BokutoK, 11:28 PM.** _‘AZHOLE’_  
**BokutoK, 11:38 PM.** _‘I know its unreasonable but I wish ur here in the base and not there.’_

Tsukishima switched the view on the monitor from the hallway to the living room. Bokuto was sprawled on the couch, hand over his eyes held the phone while the other was resting on the floor. Something about that sight made Tsukishima’s heart clench painfully.

 **TsukishimaK** , **11:40 PM**. ‘ _As soon as we get information about Orion’s residence, movements and what they are going after, I’ll be there_.’  
**TsukishimaK, 11:42 PM**. ‘ _Let’s not make things easy for them’_  
**BokutoK, 11:44 PM**. ‘ _Yea lets kill the bastardz’_  
**BokutoK, 11:45 PM.** _‘And after we get Akaashi lets go to Maldives again’_

On the screen, Bokuto dropped the phone on the floor and turned to the side, facing the backrest of the couch. Tsukishima set his phone aside as well and slouched in his seat, watching the time on the monitor slowly pass by.

\---

Nekoma Mansion, 00:58 AM

“But what are they after?” Kuroo asked loudly for a who-knows-which time. Kenma didn’t even look up from his tablet, swiping left and right and occasionally typing something.  
  
“They could be after plenty of things,” Kuroo answered his own question. “Information, government documents, to undermine police and make unrest. But why catch Akaashi then? It makes no sense because Akaashi is the last person that’s involved in politics. And the information he does have is useless. Orion needs papers, written or electronic proof.” He frowned. “Do you think they are trying to have him hack the government?”  
  
“Who knows,” Kenma said and sent another email.  
  
“Hmmm...” Kuroo didn’t look convinced. “If they wanted political information, they would kidnap a politician, someone that has actual influence in ruling the country. Sure, we operate as we wish and ignore the government in every aspect, killing anyone that stands in our way, but we are _not_ the government. So what do they want?”  
“Kuroo, you’re repeating yourself.”  
“ARGH, I KNOW!” Kuroo threw hands in the air and stood up. Pacing back and forth, he couldn’t calm down. Not knowing and waiting is something he’s not used to.  
“Moreover, Tsukishima is in danger.”  
Kenma finally looked up from the tablet and raised an eyebrow at him. “So that’s what all this complaining is actually about.”  
Kuroo looked like deer caught in headlights. “...don’t do that.”  
Kenma’s lips twitched into something that resembled a smirk. Kuroo ignored it. “If we don’t hear soon something about Orion, anything, we’ll-“

Kuroo’s speech was interrupted by Inouka running into the room. He scared both Kuroo and Kenma, who are now looking at him as if they saw a ghost.

“Y-YAKU-SAN! HE! HE-!! HE FOUND IT!”

***

The door of control center at Nekoma mansion flew out of hinges as Kuroo busted in. He made Yaku Morisuke jump out of his seat in alarm and reach for the gun at his belt.

“What the-!? **KUROO**! What the _**actual**_ fuck!? **USE THE GODDAMN KNOB YOU SON OF A BITCH**! We can’t repair everything you break! ** _MONEY ISN’T ENDLESS_**!” With his short stature, Yaku easily delivered a harsh kick to Kuroo’s gut. The older man doubled over and held onto the nearby chair.

“But-! Inouka said-!”

Yaku rolled is eyes and sat back down at the desk, eyes glued to the monitor: “That’s no reason to break down the door! They won’t run away.”  
  
Finally recovering from the kick, Kuroo rounded the table and stared over Yaku’s shoulder at the screen. The map of Japan was showed in grid and numbers and several red spots seemed to show coordinates.

“What are those? Where are those?” Kuroo asked.

“Those are our ‘rats’,” Yaku said and typed in several commands. “They are not coming closer to the point of where Orion is operating because it’s dangerous. They might get caught. Still- this is more than enough! It shows us the local area where they could be.”  
Kuroo was visibly shaking: “But we still don’t know precisely-“  
“But we know more than before, right!?” Inouka encouragingly added. Kuroo grinned up at him and nodded.  
“True. Where are they?”  
“If the coordinates are right,” Yaku said slowly, reading the map carefully, “their base should be somewhere in the North of Tohoku region.”  
Kuroo grinned: “Finally we’ll take those bastards down.”

He left Yaku’s side and joined Inouka in lifting the door up from the floor. Yaku was studying him from across the room, a scowl settled on his face.

“Why are we doing this again?” he asked, making Kuroo freeze. He nonchalantly turned around to face him, hands now in the pockets of his pants.

“They are dangerous,” Yaku continued. “We are putting our family at the risk. Do you want us to end up like Karasuno- disbanded and all over the world, running for our lives?”  
With a sigh, Kuroo dropped himself in the chair opposite of Yaku. He understood these questions, the suspicion that rose ever since Kuroo called them and ordered to start looking for Orion activity. He never explained them the situation they are in and the danger that’s threatening to swallow them whole.

“If Fukurodani falls, we all fall,” Kuroo said somberly. Yaku went rigid in his seat. Kuroo continued in the same calm, serious tone. “As you know, our two families are entwined, very closely. Yes, we are rivals- on the surface. But we ended up helping each other out more. You know that, don’t even try to deny,” Kuroo stopped Yaku from interrupting him with an apparent argument.

“If they fall, all of the information stored within Fukurodani about us will end up in Orion’s hands.  In a matter of hours, we would end up in Orion’s hands. Tortured, killed, mutilated, experimented on.” Yaku’s face was going paler with every passing second.

Kuroo stood up, a threatening look in his eyes, directed at Yaku: “I will do _anything_ to protect the only family and friends I have. Don’t question my decisions, Yakkun,” he turned around and stepped through the broken door, “you will never know what I endure for them.”

Hours after he left, Yaku still felt as if Kuroo took all life from the room with him.

\---

***Two years ago, August 16 th, 07:13 am, Malé, Maldives***

Emerald eyes glinted in the warm, morning Sun, filled with happiness as they watched slender figure on the veranda. The tall blond, with glasses, in white shirt and shorts, was drinking his coffee while leaned on the marble fence. He stepped outside and stood next to him, smiling from ear to ear.

Tsukishima looked away from his coffee mug and squinted suspiciously at the other male.

“You look way too happy this early in the morning.”

Akaashi chuckled and nudged him with his shoulder: “It’s been a while since I saw you, doc. I’m just happy you're here.”

“Need I remind you that you guys **_kidnapped_** me in the middle of my mission?” Tsukishima grumbled and buried his face back in the mug. He’s not a morning person.

“Oh, but that’s the exciting part,” Akaashi added and leaned on the fence as well. His eyes enjoyed the sight of colorful streets, bright blue sky and glinting ocean in the distance. Bokuto knew how to pick the hotel- this was quite a view. “Besides, it was a fail, to begin with. We just saved you the trouble of explaining and gifted you a small vacation.”

It was true. The mission was a complete and utter failure. But more than mission, Tsukishima has no clue how to explain why he isn’t resisting the company of the other men.

“Next time, give me a warning or something,” Tsukishima said, looking as if he resigned to his fate. It made Akaashi grin even wider and poke his side: “Oh? You’re letting us kidnap you next time?”  
“I don’t have much of a choice when there’s sniper aiming at my forehead,” he tried to complain, but the shorter male didn’t buy it at all.  
“Oh shut up, you’re enjoying this. And sniper is there for the thrill and to be convincing. It’s a kidnapping mission, after all.”  
“Yeah, yeah...” the blond sighed and his lips twitched into something that looked like a smile.

Their attention was caught by two guys on the street- two very familiar guys- in colorful clothes, messy hair and sunglasses, carrying bags with bagels, croissants and drinks, singing local songs while leaned on each other.

“They look so happy,” Akaashi said, a soft smile making its way on his face. Tsukishima couldn’t help but smile as well.  
“Happy because they are having bagels for breakfast?”  
“Hey, life is beautiful because of those small things. Bagels, the sun, coffee,” Akaashi said, leaning his head onto Tsukishima’s shoulder.  
The song was becoming louder and louder, and Sun was getting brighter and brighter. The warmth on his shoulder was so comforting. He could get used to this...

***

When Tsukishima opened his eyes, his phone was ringing. With a wince, he cracked his neck- falling asleep in the chair was not the best idea. And he was having such a nice dream too.

...or perhaps that was a memory? A small one, long forgotten?

He didn’t have a lot of time to think about it. His emergency phone was ringing and he instantly answered it.

Kuroo.

_“We have the location.”_

**TBC**

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thank you endlessly for all the views, kudos and comments! I cherish every single one of them!


	7. Come rain or shine

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Tsukishima and Bokuto... he wondered if they were okay. Ever since they first met, they seemed to step on each other’s toes- on purpose. Bokuto in his loud, exuberant way and Tsukishima in his sneaky, quiet and deadly way. He wondered if leaving them by themselves was a good idea. But Bokuto demanded to be in the most dangerous place from where he can reach other hot spots in no time so Kuroo suggested Tsukishima go with him to keep him in check and he agreed.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I am very sorry for taking so much time to update this, but work kind of killed me u.u I'm so sorry Bree!! I hope this chapter makes up for it! Have some feels? :3
> 
> Also! I want to say thank you to everyone that is still reading the story! You make me so happy ;o;!!! I love you all!

The highway was damp and filled with distant lights of the cars and buildings. The van, while warm and quiet, was filled to the brim with tension. Bokuto’s stiff body on the back seat was giving off the ‘talk and your head will fly off’ aura. They were all armed, all nervous while heading towards the meeting point.

Kuroo didn’t waste time informing the Fukurodani about Akaashi’s whereabouts. They weren’t precise but it was better than knowing nothing. The guys moved instantly- Fukurodani, Nekoma, Nohebi, Shiratorizawa. The last two were on the go because of Kuroo and Tsukishima respectively, but Bokuto wasn’t about to be picky. They needed help and if they are able to help them out with the rescue mission then so be it. He’ll be in debt, but if that brings Akaashi back, he’ll give even his life.  
  
The cars zoomed past them and clock ticked away. In ten minutes, they approached a small motel on the side of the road. It was old and the rain that started falling made it look even more raunchy.  
  
“Stop.”  
  
The command was sudden. Konoha pressed breaks instantly, without a warning, sending the guys flying (except Bokuto) into the seats in front of them. Without a word, Bokuto opened the door and stepped out in the rain. His long, gray coat was a contrast to the dark surroundings. A tall figure, wrapped in black and peering at Bokuto from underneath the hat, was standing under blinking, creaking, neon sign that read ‘Open 24 Hours’.  
  
It felt like a blur, walking over. Bokuto couldn’t hear the wind or feel cold. Well, his body felt it, it’s just that his brain was so focused on the guy that he didn’t register it. Or rather, his eyes. Under the shadow, the golden eyes still glowed with silent, sinister determination that would frighten away most people.  
When Bokuto stopped in front of him, gloved hand pushed the hat up to reveal his face slightly.  
  
“Good,” Bokuto said softly, his voice drowned out by the rain and only his companion could hear him talk. “I thought he’d have you in his clutches forever.”  
  
“He never will,” Tsukishima said, fixing his collar to shield himself from the wind. “Besides, he’s in as much danger as we are. Ushijima-san wouldn’t pull anything that could endanger his wealth.”  
  
“Not even for Oikawa?”  
  
Tsukishima smirked. “Sadly, not even for him. He’s multi-billionaire, he has a reputation to think of.”  
  
Their voices died out. Idle chatter just to cover up the nervousness they felt. They are finally making a move to save Akaashi after all.  
  
Tsukishima turned around and went under the cover to step away from the rain. Bokuto looked at the van once and nodded, before following after Tsukishima. The engine roared and the black van disappeared from the sight, leaving Bokuto alone with the doctor in the middle of nowhere.  
  
“Are we waiting for something here?” he asked Tsukishima who was looking up at the dark night sky. He shook his head.  
  
“No. Everything is set up. The room is just too stuffy. I’m getting some air and clearing my head. I don’t want to make rash decisions,” the blond answered quietly, putting his hands in the pockets. Bokuto stared at him, not saying a word, trying to decipher what Tsukishima wanted to say with this. He never saw the doctor make rash decisions, he never got explosively angry and he always seemed to have three plans prepared in advance.  
  
Coming up with nothing, Bokuto asked. “What do you mean?”  
  
“I don’t want to jeopardize his position even further,” Tsukishima answered after a while. “I don’t know what they did to him, what they are doing to him, what they will do to him,” he said through his teeth. “But I know what I will do to them once I have them.”  
  
Tsukishima’s voice was colder than the rainy, windy, November night. He never asserted himself, he never took the spotlight in raids and missions. He always stood by the side and did his things, slowly, quietly, pedantically, not leaving anything behind him. Bokuto knew Tsukishima was the most dangerous man from Karasuno- given the chance and opportunity. Given the moment.  
  
And the moment has rolled in. For both of them.  
  
Bokuto pulled out a pack of cigarettes and offered one to Tsukishima. With a bit of difficulty, they managed to light them and smoke them in silence. An unusual, heavy silence.  
  
“Everyone will be in place by tomorrow morning,” the blond answered, tossing the cigarette butt on the ground and putting it out with his shoe. “Let’s go inside.”  
  
Bokuto nodded and followed after him.  
  
-0-0-0-  
  
The inside of the hotel wasn’t as bad as the outside. The carpet is old and with holes, vacuumed last decade, but it served its purpose. The wallpaper was half torn and parts that still stuck to the walls covered the mold and holes as much as it could. The furniture, however, was good.  
  
At least in the room where Bokuto and Tsukishima were staying. The couch was new and not creaky, covered with a red blanket. There were several computers turned on and only the light from the screen was the only thing that illuminated the room. The windows were covered by The bed that was on the left side of the room was mostly covered by the equipment and weapons, leaving space only for one person to sleep.  
  
Not that Bokuto or Tsukishima planned to sleep any time soon.  
  
They shrugged off their coats and tossed them over the couch. Tsukishima instantly went to the computer to check it while Bokuto looked around. It seemed like he wasn’t bothered by the low brow of his surroundings while he was tugging off his tie.  
  
“There are no problems,” Tsukishima piped from the other side of the room. Bokuto acknowledged it with a soft hum.  
  
Another wave of heavy silence filled the room. Tsukishima sat down in the computer chair and stared at the screen. Bokuto couldn’t tell whether he was reading the words on the screen or no, but it didn’t really matter in the end. They needed to wait. Only this time, they had an idea what they are waiting for.  
  
“Tsukki?” Bokuto spoke after what it seemed an hour. Tsukishima was still in the chair, monitoring the data and typing from time to time.  
  
“Yes?”  
  
“Why did you leave?”  
  
The typing stopped. Tsukishima didn’t turn around to look at Bokuto. He could see his reflection on the screen. His upper body leaned forward and resting on his knees, Bokuto’s intense gaze burned holes inTsukishima’s back.  
  
“I told you I’ll come back,” Tsukishima answered slowly, pretending to go through some document.  
  
Bokuto shook his head. “You know what I mean.”  
  
The blond’s fingers curled into a fist where it was resting on the table.  
  
“After the Maldives... when the bomb was set off... we thought you were dead. We turned every stone in Tokyo trying to find you.” His entwined fingers clenched, fingers digging into the skin. “Nothing.”  
  
Tsukishima didn’t say anything. He was sitting so still in his chair one could think he was replaced by a doll. Since he didn’t say anything, Bokuto continued talking.  
  
“Do you know how we felt? Do you care about how we felt?”  
  
The chair Tsukishima was sitting on fell onto the floor with a thud. His angry glare was met with hurt yet determined gaze.  
  
“What do you know about what I’ve been through!?” Tsukishima hissed. He never raised his voice, he never screamed. Containing his anger and pain within himself until he feels like exploding. And Bokuto keeps asking and prodding and just being himself and the blond just can’t take it anymore.  
  
“Your house wasn’t the one targeted! And you weren’t the one that was killed, it was—it was- “ Tsukishima’s eloquence seemed to disappear as emotions overflow him. Seeing this, Bokuto stood up and placed his hands on Tsukishima’s shoulders, trying to calm him down. “Hey, we could’ve-“  
  
“No!” the blond violently shoved off the hands from his shoulders, staggering backward. Bokuto gave him bewildered look.  
  
“You- You and that rooster fucker let him walk away! After what he did! And you want me to waltz back to you, to all of you, after that?!”  
  
If Tsukishima’s brain was working properly, he’d see the pain and the guilt written all over Bokuto’s features. But his brain was way too muddled with memories of the tragedy that he couldn’t even think straight.  
  
With a hiccup, and holding back his tears, Tsukishima gritted out: “As long as he walks, I hold you three responsible for Daichi-san’s death.”  
He picked up the bag from the chair and left the room, closing the door calmly behind him.  
  
-0-  
  
Bokuto felt like someone has pulled a rug from underneath his feet. Cutting his legs off would feel less painful than this. Tsukishima’s words cut deep, deeper than any knife he ever used to slice people’s throats.  
  
He was responsible. Kuroo, Akaashi and he were responsible for Tsukishima walking away. For never looking back. Tsukishima’s animosity towards them finally makes sense. They might’ve not been directly involved in the destruction of Karasuno, but they did let the responsible one walk away. He could come up with millions of excuses but his heart knew it wasn’t true, so he didn’t bother.  
  
Bokuto can’t remember the last time he felt so alone...  
  
The soft knock on the door interrupted his train of thoughts. Now that he thinks about it, he has no idea how much time have passed since Tsukishima left the room. Half an hour? Huh... he’s been standing in the middle of the room, staring at the door for thirty minutes.  
  
“Hm? Bokuto?”  
  
Bokuto’s eyes squinted at the door- the sudden rush of light was blinding. The guy stepped in and closed the door, ending the pain.  
  
“Oikawa,” Bokuto said blankly.  
  
With a frown, the beautiful man dropped the sniper bag in the corner of the room and walked over to him.  
  
“Did something happen?”  
  
Fukurodani leader tsked in annoyance and turned around. He sat down at the desk and started going through data Tsukishima collected before he arrived.  
Oikawa frowned but didn’t say anything. Bokuto’s been on short fuse ever since he found out that they are close to finding Akaashi. Everyone’s been careful about what they say around him. Except for Kuroo. Kuroo just blurts out whatever he thinks.  
  
But that’s Kuroo and no one can really compare to him when it comes to his relationship with Bokuto. Now that Akaashi’s not around, the Nekoma boss became the loud voice of reason for Bokuto.  
  
“...any news?”  
  
“Shut up, you vulture.”  
  
Oikawa wanted to retort but there was nothing to say. It’s true, in a way, that he came here more for money than for helping them out save Akaashi.  
  
“I see Tsukishima-kun is rubbing off on you, Bo. You were way more gentle without him around,” Oikawa said with airy voice while pouring himself a glass of whiskey.  
  
“I just say it like I see it,” Bokuto says without looking away from the screen.  
  
Oikawa shrugs after chugging down the drink, “Hey, I just don’t want perfectly good and beautiful Roze Diamond to go to waste as you guys blow up the place. I did offer you my and Iwa-chan’s skills in return.”  
  
He leans over and pours himself another drink, “I didn’t want to meddle at first, I don’t want to be on Orion’s hit-list. But times change. And I owe you from before.” He walks over and pats Bokuto on the shoulder. “Thanks for that.”  
  
Bokuto’s whole body twitches, which Oikawa ignores. He finishes off his second drink and places the glass on the desk: “I’ll go sleep for a while, rest my eyes. I’ll be using them later. _Ciao_ ,” and with a soft laugh, he left.  
  
-0-0-0-  
  
The motel Nekoma rented was in pretty much in the same state as Bokuto’s. Only it was a lot bigger to support way more members.  
  
Kuroo was standing in the middle of the room, rubbing his chin, as the people around him rushed to set up the equipment, bring in food for several weeks, guns and furniture. The owner of the hotel was really freaked out. Kuroo managed to bribe him and send him off for next couple of months. Yaku wanted to bash his head in for spending the family’s money so recklessly, but after seeing the look of determination on Kuroo’s face, he just warned him.  
  
After thinking for a while and talking to Bokuto, Kuroo wasn’t sure how smart it was to allow Oikawa to join them. But their need to have at least two more snipers on the field (Oikawa and Iwaizumi) aside from Kuroo, swung the favor for the other man. Kuroo wanted to get someone from Hebi, but they were slimier than Oikawa. At least the pretty guy had some class.  
  
His room was at the end of the hall and, after discussing few things about the equipment that will be arriving tomorrow, he made his way to his room. It was cramped, the moldy, flower designed wallpaper peeling off the wall. At least the bedding was decent.  
  
Dropping himself on the mattress, Kuroo buried his face between the pillows.

Akaashi... Bokuto... Tsukishima... Oikawa... Yaku... Kenma... Lev... Akaashi...  
  
The names spun in his head relentlessly, preventing him from falling asleep. They crawled under his skin, they made him what he is now. The steady rain outside made his headache more bearable.  
  
Tsukishima and Bokuto... he wondered if they were okay. Ever since they first met, they seemed to step on each other’s toes- on purpose. Bokuto in his loud, exuberant way and Tsukishima in his sneaky, quiet and deadly way. He wondered if leaving them by themselves was a good idea. But Bokuto demanded to be in the most dangerous place from where he can reach other hot spots in no time so Kuroo suggested Tsukishima go with him to keep him in check and he agreed.  
  
So why did this bad premonition settled in the pit of Kuroo’s stomach?  
  
Soft padding in front of his room told him that Kenma went to his room. His childhood friend was awake for 48 hours now. But thanks to him and Yaku they now know where to look. Kuroo knew Kenma was smart, but he didn’t know just how crafty he could get. It sent shivers down Kuroo’s back.  
How did everything go so bad?  
  
It’s been four days, five if they count tonight since Akaashi was kidnapped and everything seemed to spiral out of the control. Neither of them knew just how much Akaashi supported them all, what kind of pillar he was for all of them.  
  
And Tsukishima... he was happy he was okay. Truth to be told, he knew he wasn’t dead, there’s no way he’d die, he wasn’t the one targeted. But not being in contact with him for so long made things feel so cold. And if it weren’t for Akaashi, he wouldn’t be with them now.  
  
Kuroo wanted his thoughts to stop racing. He turned his head to the side and stared at the digital clock next to his bed, counting and begging his brain to finally give in and let him go to sleep.  
  
-0-0-0-  
  
“ _Such a small man yet such tough mind..._ ” a deep voice murmured.  
  
Akaashi didn’t know who that was, but he knew that the man talked to him before. However, he couldn’t focus on him at all- the liquid gliding down his skin, over his hands and legs made him shiver. His left side was hurting like a bitch- probably a broken rib. Broken toe. Over hundred hits of the leather and chain over his back.  
  
Akaashi is not a traitor. He’ll die, he’d rather watch himself being ripped to shreds than betray his family, his one, and only life.  
  
“ **If he doesn’t break in next six hours,** ” a new voice, woman’s voice with thick accent joined in, “ **use drugs. We can’t wait anymore. We need that computer. They are running out of patience.”**  
  
“ _As am I,_ ” the man responded to her.  
  
Fat fingers gripped on his chin and lifted his head up. Akaashi couldn’t see him because of the blindfold, but his imagination is working just fine. He can properly imagine some corporate scumbag with rolls under his chin in way too expensive suit smirking down at him, a drool dripping from the corner of his mouth.  
  
**Filthy.**  
  
“You’ll.. regret... it...” Akaashi gritted out through the firm hold. And as his words left him, it was as if the temperature disappeared from the room.  
In the next moment, the reality was no more.  
Only pain. Only dreams.

 

TBC


	8. Colligo

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> The men around the desk moved away, leaving Tsukishima and Kuroo by themselves. The blond pretended not to notice the man’s firm gaze on him by collecting the documents strewn around him.
> 
> “...are you okay?” Kuroo asked tentatively.
> 
> “No.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Sorry for the wait! I hope this chapter is lots of fun for you ;D
> 
> I want to take everyone who takes the time to read the story, leave and comment and/or kudo. It means a lot to me. This might be the only story I actually finish :'D!!
> 
> Enjoy!

**XXth of November, 20xx; time: 3:45 AM, Prism Motel**

“So, we can eat all the food available here?” Iwaizumi asked, eyeing the delicious beef bowl in front of him.

Oikawa scrunched his nose: “I will not eat that. No. Never. Food that comes from Ushiwaka’s pocket is dangerous. I don’t trust it.”

“Starve then,” Iwaizumi mumbled, ignored the other man and slurped up noodles and meat in record time.

“Iwa-chan! It can kill you!” the pretty guy panicked and tried to get the bowl out of his friend’s hands. He was kicked away over the edge of the sofa.

Tsukishima and Bokuto ignored the banter and noise that filled the room. The Fukurodani leader was determined to put a hole in the wall with his gaze while Tsukishima was reading messages from Kenma. The status was getting updated every thirty minutes. The hired snipers are the only people that seemed unaffected by the tension in the air.

After finally pinpointing the Orion base, Kuroo was planning the infiltration. Hebi members did their dirty work, Tsukishima figured. Daishou never backed away from danger. He was more like a moth drawn to the flame instead of a snake. But it didn’t matter.

The base was hidden high in the mountains, separated into three different levels. The first one was Gnen Ravine. It was at the bottom of the mountain and it combined with the small town and residential area. It was dangerous to go through there because you can’t tell difference who is Orion member and who ordinary citizen.

The next level was twenty kilometers up and into the mountains, hidden within the forest. At one point, the car can’t get through anymore so people have to move by foot. The Orion’s main base was hidden everywhere, at every corner, tree, and rock. The terrorists occupied every inch of it but in the evening only a few people patrolled and more of them were stationed at hot spots.

Hebi couldn’t reach the last, third level. It continued too high into the mountain that, at first, they didn’t know it existed. But after seeing a tall woman, wrapped in thick, bearskin coat, leave the second base and head into the mountain with the company, they realized that there is something else up there. Something that they can’t reach right now.

But it was enough, Tsukishima thought. More than enough. The snakes slithered through the camp and made a full map of the place. Kenma and he were going through it, looking for the weak spots and what spot they can use for infiltration. It was quite tough, considering the layout of the buildings and where guards usually patrol, but it wasn’t impossible. Not with three snipers on the squad.

Two of which are currently stuffing their faces and gloriously getting on Tsukishima’s nerves. Bokuto was calm, but Tsukishima knew he was raging on the inside. But he wasn’t the only one who couldn’t wait to move out.  Kuroo was in the video call with Tsukishima but they weren’t talking. Just exchanging glances from time to time. Both too preoccupied with the plan for infiltration.

Oikawa walked over and leaned over Tsukishima’s shoulder. The blond subsided the urge to grab his head and twist his neck.

“Scram.”

“Huh?”

“I hate people breathing down my back,” Tsukishima gritted out, getting attention from both Kuroo and Bokuto. Perplexed, Oikawa pulled back but didn’t step away.

“How long is this going to take?” he asked.

“As long as it needs,” Kuroo answered, shooting Oikawa a pointed glare. It was returned.

“We just received information where Akaashi is. Not the exact room, but the general area. We have to make sure we have a way of escaping,” the Nekoma leader explained further.

And Oikawa couldn’t argue against that. He did want to get out of there alive and with all limbs.

After several more minutes of mulling over, Kuroo gave a final nod of confirmation. “Then it’s settled.”

Bokuto, Oikawa and Iwaizumi all gathered around the monitor.

“Listen to the plan carefully. We will have a bit of a difficult time getting up the mountain. There will be some climbing, but it’s all for the sake of not being spotted. Kenma found a deserted mountaineering spot. It’s narrow and dangerous, but it’s our best shot to get up there.”

With several clicks on his side, Kuroo brought up the map of the place. Bokuto’s eyes narrowed.

“There is very high possibility that on the top of that deserted cliff are guards. But since we’re going all together, we can take them out without causing any ruckus.  Then, we split into two groups.” Kuroo started typing again.

“One group will infiltrate the base. You’ll borrow the clothes of the guards. We have to take out at least four of them. People that are going in are Oikawa, Yaku, Tsukishima and Bokuto.” Bokuto nodded solemnly.

“Why Tsukishima? Why can’t Iwa-chan come?” Oikawa asked with a frown.

“If we find more than four guards, he will. As a backup. Tsukishima has to go in because of Akaashi. He’s a doctor and if there are any severe injuries, he needs to take care of them. You’ll go out the same way you went in.”

Tsukishima typed something on the computer and the route through the base showed up.

“You absolutely can’t alert anyone,” Kuroo warned. “Kenma, Konoha, Sarukui, Washio and I will be securing our way out, down the mountain. Depending on Akaashi’s injuries, we might be forced to take a van.” He sighs. “If we are forced to take a van, people taking it are Bokuto, Kenma, Tsukishima, Akaashi, Konoha as driver and Sarukui as a defense. The rest of us will go down mountaineering path.”

“What about our payment?”

Kuroo rubbed his temple, “Your greed will kill us all Oikawa.”

“You said that I can get my hands on the gem there. I’m expecting it.”

“If you can find it without raising any suspicion and noise, you’re free to take it. I don’t really give a shit about it. Rob the whole place if you want.”

“Considering that there’s the third level of the base, I doubt you’ll find it,” Tsukishima butted in. Oikawa didn’t like that.

“If you’re planning on running around the base in search for it,” Bokuto spoke up in an icy tone, “forget about it. I’d rather go with two snipers down if that can secure saving Akaashi without risking our lives.”

Oikawa sighed and shrugged, “Well, I guess you will have to repay me in some other way. I’m not eager to die yet.” He gave Bokuto a cold smile, “How about those diamonds you guys got?”

“Deal,” Bokuto said without a pause.

“Then it’s settled,” Kuroo finally announced. “We will meet at the bottom of the mountain in one hour. Tsukishima will navigate your way there. Try to keep off the main road and don’t come near the city.”

The men around the desk moved away, leaving Tsukishima and Kuroo by themselves. The blond pretended not to notice the man’s firm gaze on him by collecting the documents strewn around him.

“...are you okay?” Kuroo asked tentatively.

“No.” Tsukishima finally looked over. “You know that.”

Kuroo just nodded.

“I need to make few phone calls. If you’ll excuse me, Kuroo-san.” The Nekoma leader didn’t have time to say anything because Tsukishima turned the video feed off. His mental state wasn’t good enough to go through Kuroo’s questioning.

And he did need to make few phone calls.

\---

They departed from the motel at 4:15 am. It was freezing outside and dead quiet. They loaded the van with their equipment in record time and headed towards the meeting point. The car ride, in general, was quiet. Iwaizumi was driving and only Tsukishima was talking- when he needed to give directions. They were off the main road after twenty minutes and continued down the dirt path through the forest.

Tsukishima could hear subtle cracking coming from the last seat, but he didn’t ask about it. He knew that was Bokuto trying to calm his nerves down by squeezing the knife holstered at his belt. The blond was not sure if it was actually helping, but the Fukurodani leader was quiet. Too quiet for his liking. Maybe it was for the best.

They arrived at the bottom of the mountain at 5:10 am. They hid the car in the forest, behind an old willow tree. And after unloading the stuff they needed, they headed towards the rendezvous point.

“You’re on time,” Kuroo greeted them once they met up at the mountaineering path. For some odd reason, Tsukishima’s nerves calmed down completely. He trusted the knowledge he had, but he didn’t trust himself to bring the whole operation to completion.

“I wonder how, ” Iwaizumi said while fixing his clothes up. “The road here was abysmal.”

“Caution,” Kenma said, appearing seemingly out of nowhere.

“We’re ready to depart,” Yaku announced from his position, slightly up the mountaineering path.

Bokuto and Kuroo exchanged looks of quiet understanding.

“It’s time.”

**XXth of November, 20xx; time: 6:35 AM, Orion Base;**

They are coming for him... right? Bokuto wouldn’t let him rot here...

Akaashi opened his eyes, his sight blurry while he faced the white wall. His hands were tied and he could feel a sharp pain in his chest. Or somewhere lower...? Maybe something cracked while he was fighting back.

He turned his head to see if there was anyone in the room with him. Oddly, it was empty. Quiet. Aside from his own ragged breathing and legs thudding on the floor as he tried to turn to the side and face the door. Not even footsteps. It made Akaashi squint with suspicion. Why is it so quiet?

With a loud grunt and help of the wall, he finally managed to sit up completely. He couldn’t help but chuckle to himself as he felt pain go through his abdomen. A loud yell, in Tsukishima’s voice, boomed through his head, warning him not to move or he’ll make the wound worse.

And if it was any other situation, he’d probably listen to him. But not now. Using the wall again and pushing with his feet, Akaashi finally stood up, leaving a bloody trail from his hands on the wall.  Something sharp... he needs something sharp to cut these ropes on his hands.

Cursing, he stumbled over to the small table to his right. Pens and paper clattered and fell down on the floor. Nothing. His wrists were already too raw and bloody from all the tugging he did earlier. Now he feels stupid for doing it. He should have been patient.

The sudden thud in front of his room made Akaashi’s blood chill in his veins. A sudden onslaught of light made him wince and the figure that entered gave a low chuckle.

It was that lady from earlier. She didn’t bother closing the door behind her while she was pulling out a syringe from the inner pocket of her gray coat.

“We... gave you an opportunity, Akaashi-san,” she said in silky, accented voice. “The only thing you had to do was write the program for the supercomputer.”

Akaashi’s mouth felt glued with blood from his lips. He regarded the woman with nothing but a venomous glare.

“The same super computer you have in your own base. You built it, programmed it, setting it up so well that not even ant could crawl around without you knowing about it.”

She stood few feet away from Akaashi, hands clasped in front of her.

“You refused. Again and again, you refused.” She twirled the syringe between her fingers.

Akaashi took a step back. Then another. And another before he hit the wall.

She smiled maliciously. “If you only did what we asked, we would’ve let you go.”

‘Yeah. As a dead body in a military bag,’ Akaashi thought sourly.

“Time is up, Akaashi-san. We cannot wait on you anymore.” She took off the cap from the needle. “Since you don’t want to help us out, the higher ups decided that you need to be dealt with. Your base will be destroyed eventually, along with your super computer and you will not be alive to make another one.”

Akaashi gritted his teeth, but her grin only seemed to stretch.

“Goodbye, Akaashi-san,” she clicked her tongue. “Your death will be painful.”

Cement. Akaashi’s legs felt as if they were cemented to the floor. Why now, of all times, fear decides to settle in his bones, rendering him immobile?

 

Black glove.

A glint of a blade.

Thin, fast cut over the throat.

A splash of red.

Stunned, Akaashi watched woman slide to the floor, voiceless, choking on her own blood, desperately trying to grab her own throat and stop the blood from flowing.

“Thank you for opening the door for me, Sanada-san,” melodic voice filled the room. Akaashi’s eyes met the honey brown ones behind the mask and he felt the warmth spread through his body.

“Good morning, Akaashi-san. I’m sorry for being late.”

TBC~

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> P.S. ILY BREE! There's no way I'd kill your prince ;D


	9. White noise

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> THREE MINUTES!? YAKU!” Kuroo screeched, losing his voice in an attempt to be silent while screeching. “WHY didn’t you mention that earlier!?”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> It was a thrill to write this chapter :)

**XXth of November, 20xx; time: 6:17 AM, Orion Base;**

“We’re in position,” Tsukishima says quietly into his earpiece.

The layout of the base was simple enough. There weren’t too many buildings, but the ones that were there were big enough to count for everything.

“ _I have visual confirmation_ ,” Kenma says on the other side, making everyone peer from their hiding places.

In a large jeep, warped in expensive furs, a woman arrived. It was still really early in the morning so only several guards were walking around. Tsukishima felt heart stop in his throat- he’s done dangerous missions before, some even rivaling this one in difficulty but none of them had big stake like this. There was always a backup plan, always something or someone to take them out of the trouble. Now- it’s do or die. Literally. And when Tsukishima puts everything he has onto one plate, he has nothing to lose. Except for his life.

And to be frank, he didn’t give a shit.

“Target on lock,” Oikawa says slowly, eyes trained through the sniper visor as he aims at the woman’s head.

“ _Don’t shoot_ ,” Kenma says. “ _We need her to lead us to Akaashi-san_.”

“Are you sure the documents we found are legit?” Bokuto asks.

“ _100%,_ ” Kuroo’s voice reassures them.  “ _I compared them to ones I have in my database and hooo boy, she’s a doozie._ ”

“She works for Congress,” Oikawa pitches in. Kuroo confirms from the other side.

“ _Talk about a backstab to our political system. What a scandal._ ”

Tsukishima doesn’t say anything. He can barely keep his hands from shaking. The clothes he got from the guards earlier are very uncomfortable. Too small. He keeps pulling on the sleeve of the jacket.

“ _She ditched the guards_ ,” Iwaizumi said through the earpiece. “ _We have to follow her_.”

“On it,” Oikawa said and slid from his hiding place on top of the house and in between the trees. The woman headed between the buildings in confident stride, hands in her pockets. Not a soul around.

“This is almost too easy,” Oikawa murmurs and nods to others in the hiding.

“ _She’s a hot target, don’t let her slip away_ ,” Kenma warns.

They all leave the hiding place and thread carefully after her. The air is fresh this high in the mountains and Tsukishima can feel his cheeks get cold, even under the mask he’s wearing.

“Stay with me,” Bokuto’s low voice murmured in his ear. “I got you.”

If Bokuto’s leadership abilities didn’t make him a leader of Fukurodani, then his mind reading abilities did. Tsukishima didn’t expect him to notice the actual fear that has settled inside him. Maybe the fact that he keeps squeezing and releasing the knife in his hand that gave it away. Either way, Bokuto’s encouragement seemed to ease his strained nerves, jumbled thoughts.

They got this. They are so close. There is no need for a rush.

Tsukishima’s hands stopped shaking. The cold didn’t affect him anymore. His stride confident, with the purpose behind it.

“Stop.”

On Oikawa’s sign, everybody stopped and hid behind the corner of the building.

“She entered the barracks,” Oikawa nodded.

“We have to hurry, or we will lose the trail,” Tsukishima said and reached for his pocket.

“Wait don’t-“ Iwaizumi started but Tsukishima cut him off. “I’ll go after her. You can cover me and deal with anyone that comes across. It’s almost 6:30.”

“Yeah, we don’t have much time,” Bokuto agreed. After a moment of contemplation, he nodded, “Go ahead. The rest scout the area. Silently, get rid of anyone that can pose the threat to Akaashi’s retrieval.”

Tsukishima could feel the blood rushing to his brain. He never felt such surge of elation before. Trusty scalpel in his pocket, he went into the building with haste.

A long hallway, branching three ways after fifty meters. The building doesn’t have the second floor. This should be easy.

“I’m going right,” he said quietly into the receiver. “Cover left and middle.”

Quickly. Carefully.

Just as he reached the corner, he saw a flash of red, fur coat enter the room.

“ _...bingo_.”

**XXth of November, 20xx; time: 6:37 AM, Orion Base;**

“...Kei...” Akaashi’s voice was barely above the whisper. Neither of them paid mind to the woman slowly bleeding out at their feet.

Tsukishima caught him before he could fall back down to the floor.

“How are the injuries? Any broken bones? Concussions?” Tsukishima asked hastily, quickly looking over the bruises on Akaashi’s face.

“I... I don’t... I don’t know... I just-“ trying to find the words to express himself was a serious task for Akaashi right now. Overwhelmed with relief, happiness and hope, he didn’t mind the way Tsukishima handled him. Tsukishima roughly pulling his shirt up is nothing compared to what he’s been through.

“Shit... you have internal bleeding and a broken rib,” Tsukishima hissed eyeing the black and blue swelling on Akaashi’s left side. With a grunt propped Akaashi up on his feet. “We have to get you out of here. Bokuto-san is here too.” Tsukishima watched with amazement how Akaashi’s eyes lit up with life. Ignoring the soft pang in his chest, he pressed the button on his earpiece.

“I got him. He’s injured, I need help. Guide me out.”

He ignored the people cheering into his earpiece and headed for the exit. It was hard with Akaashi leaning heavily on his side- Tsukishima was afraid they will be too slow and get caught.

“Climb on my back,” Tsukishima whispered and crouched. There was a brief hesitation in Akaashi’s movements, but seeing that it was their only way to move faster, he nodded. Hissing, he wrapped hands around Tsukishima’s neck and the blond lifted him off the ground with ease, his arms under Akaashi’s knees.

They needed to reach the exit. Fast. Tsukishima was out of breath, but the adrenaline from stalking the woman did its thing. Turn right, turn left- and the door was in his sight. He could feel Akaashi’s hands grip on him tightly.

When he stepped outside he heard the noise. Did people get up already? Where’s Bokuto?

“ _Tsukishima, turn right. Quick_ ,” Iwaizumi said. “ _We’re meeting up with Yaku to the west, the guards seem on alert_ ,” he explained in detail, but Tsukishima was already on it.

“ _He did it_ ,” Bokuto said, “ _the whole place is littered with bombs. It should distract them enough for us to run away._ ”

The blond ducked behind a huge rock and skidded down the muddy earth. Akaashi grunted behind him but he didn’t say anything.

A yell.

Tsukishima felt blood freeze in his veins. Did he get spotted?

 _“Don’t stop Tsukki_ ,” Bokuto said. They apparently had him in sight. That was reassuring. _“They are running in and out of barracks. They found the woman.”_

He wanted to ask if they can get out of here alive, but his hands were occupied. Legs felt like lead. But he didn’t stop. He’s this close to outsmarting the most vicious organization ever assembled.

“Tsukishima!”

Iwaizumi. Thank God.

They both ducked behind a huge willow, the blond trying to catch his breath.

“Akaashi. You’re alive,” he nodded at the ex-captive, who nodded back.

“I still don’t know how, ” Akaashi said. And he was being completely honest about it. He was sure they would execute him sooner.

“Help him get off,” Tsukishima said. “He’s badly injured.”

“It doesn’t matter,” the sniper said to Akaashi and helped him get off Tsukishima’s back. Now that there’s three of them, they supported him as they walked down the hidden path between the bushes. It was rocky, unstable, but leading them around the whole base. A route Yaku established while the rest were going after Akaashi.

“We’re almost there.”

And they were. It took them ten minutes to arrive at the rendezvous point. And no one was surprised that Bokuto was first to greet them, maskless.

It wasn’t flashy like Tsukishima expected it to be. There was no yelling.  No laughing or crying. Letting go of Akaashi, he watched him wobble over towards Bokuto slowly, letting himself fall into his open arms.

An end of an era.

Tsukishima wasn’t sure how long they all stood there, feeling relieved. Kuroo was the one to break the silence: “We need to hurry. Iwaizumi said they already found her.”

Bokuto pulled his face away from Akaashi’s hair and nodded. “Yes. Let’s head back. Tsukki,” he turned to the blond, who took off his mask, “status?”

Tsukishima sighed, “Broken rib. Internal bleeding. I don’t know to which extent are the damages.” He gave Bokuto ‘it’s extremely serious but I don’t want to worry Akaashi’ look. Fukurodani leader understood it.

“So what do we do?” Yaku asked while packing the leftover weapons in the van.

“Leave it to me,” Tsukishima said. He was met with surprised looks. “I know where to go, you just need to drive us there.”

Bokuto nodded: “Looks like we’re in your hands now.” He looked at Kuroo, who nodded back, “Go as planned. We’ll cover you.”

“Drive fast,” Yaku said, slipping into one of the vehicles. “The bombs will go off in three minutes.”

“ _THREE MINUTES!? **YAKU!**_ ” Kuroo screeched, losing his voice in an attempt to be silent _while_ screeching. “WHY didn’t you mention that earlier!?”  
  
Kenma was pale but otherwise unperturbed.

They all piled up in the vans and headed down the mountain.

 

The road was bumpy and way too curvy. It was making Tsukishima nauseous and push his feet into the floor on reflex whenever there was a sudden rough turn. Akaashi didn’t look too concerned- too relieved to be surrounded by people he knew and trusted.

“Hold onto your asses! We’re going full throttle to evade the explosions.”

Tsukishima looked over his shoulder at the van that was following them. He could see Kuroo still screaming at Yaku for not warning him about the bomb timers. He would be smirking at the sight if Konoha didn’t make a crazy turn, sending him flying into the window.

“One-minute countdown,” Kenma pitched in from his position in the front.

“It’s going to be a blast,” Bokuto grinned mirthfully and kissed Akaashi’s forehead.

“Yea, _blast_ ,” Tsukishima mumbled, “if we all get out of here alive, I’ll sing.”

“I hold you onto that,” Akaashi said, which made Bokuto chuckle.

“Forty-five seconds...”

Tsukishima’s phone rang. It properly scared the shit out of him.

“What!?”

“ _Remember that time when I kidnapped you?_ ” Kuroo asked.

“Why are you bringing that up now?!” Tsukishima hissed, obviously on edge. Why is no one around him worried that they might be blown away into the valley below them?!

“ _Back then, when I tied you all up, I called it ‘end of the rope’. I’d like to correct myself_.”

Despite his iron will, Tsukishima couldn’t help but huff out a laugh.

“So, you wanted to correct yourself as your last words?”

“ _Hey, a man’s gotta make his amends, right?_ ”

“Fifteen seconds.”

Everyone in the van went quiet. Kuroo as well. Kenma started the countdown.

“Ten... nine...”

Konoha made another sharp turn to the right.

“Eight... seven...”

Sarukui’s hands clenched into fists.

“Six... five...”

Akaashi clutched onto Bokuto’s and Tsukishima’s shoulders.

“Four... three...”

_“Hey, Tsukki...”_

“Two...”

_“ I –“_

“One.”

 

TBC

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thank you all for reading! I love you! :D


	10. Now I know

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Sarukui, who was in the foyer, on the guard duty, reached for his gun. After signaling Konoha, he aimed at the door- if remaining people from Orion somehow tracked them down, he’ll put a bullet through their head.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thank you all so much for the comments on the previous chapter! You have no idea how much inspiration that gave me! I really enjoyed writing this chapter so I hope you guys enjoy it too!

Tsukishima couldn’t tell if the explosion was really strong or if they didn’t get far away enough to not feel the tremors. It felt like the whole mountain was shaking. His ears were ringing and his eyesight got blurry. For good several seconds he couldn’t orient himself. The only thing he knew for certain was that he was in the car and that his phone flew away to the front of the van- everything else was spinning. Did they fell off the cliff? Not hearing any type of crashing through the white noise explosion was making, he forced his eyes open.

And he had nothing but praise for Konoha. How is that man managing to keep driving them with the ground shaking all around them is beyond Tsukishima, but his driving skills are saving their asses now. He was a NASCAR driver before, right? He didn’t bother thinking too much into it.

Groaning from the back seat got his attention and Tsukishima somehow managed to sit up properly and turn around.

“Shit... Akaashi-san...” Tsukishima muttered.  Bokuto had covered his head but it didn’t look like it was helping him much.

Akaashi’s breathing was heavy and eyes closed. Bokuto, who looked like there wasn’t an explosion just seconds ago, shot Tsukishima a worried glance, then looked back at Akaashi.

“Babe, what’s wrong?”

“Ughh... nauseous...” Akaashi hissed out, trying to sit up. Tsukishima stopped him.

“Don’t sit up. You’re not feeling well enough. Bokuto-san, I know you’re worried, but can you move to the front and free the backseat? He should be laying down.”

Without a moment of hesitation, Bokuto stood and rolled over the backrest of the seat and fell over Sarukui. Who wasn’t pleased with having his leader’s ass pressed into his face.

Tsukishima shrugged off his jacket and crumpled it into a ball, placing it under Akaashi’s head. His ears were still ringing from the explosion, but Akaashi must be feeling way worse than him since he wasn’t okay to begin with.

“Just lay down, okay? Don’t move much because of the rib.”

“We need to take him to the hospital,” Bokuto said, leaning over to Konoha to check on him. “Where’s the closest one?”

Konoha wiped sweat from his forehead, but kept his eyes trained on the road in front of him: “It’s in the city in the valley, but we shouldn’t go there. We’re on the run, remember?”

“Then where should we go?”

Kenma finally spoke up. “I’ll search for one.”

“No,” Tsukishima said abruptly. Bokuto looked over at him.

“What do you mean ‘no’? He’s injured! He needs to get his wounds treated, you know that! You’re a doctor!”

The blond rolled his eyes: “I didn’t say no to treating his wounds. I said no to a hospital. Especially Municipal hospital.”

Sarukui and Bokuto exchanged looks. “Why not?”

“How are you going to explain these wounds to the staff? They’ll ask for medical history and what happened to cause the traumas.” Tsukishima leaned over the seat to check Akaashi’s temperature. It was on the rise since the last time he checked. Infection?

“So we need a place that won’t ask questions,” Konoha said.

“We’re too far away from such places,” Kenma frowned, pulling out his mini computer.

Everyone was quiet for a bit. It just grated Bokuto’s nerves.

“So are we NOT going to do anything!?” he finally snapped.

Tsukishima rolled his eyes, “I told you earlier that I have a plan. We just need to get off the mountain first before the police can catch us.”

“Shit, right,” Bokuto leaned back to Konoha, “Pedal to the metal! Get us out of here!”

The blond sighed and caught Akaashi’s gaze. He expected him to be worried about his own health and the fact that they can’t reach a clinic soon, but he was smiling instead. As if there’s nothing wrong with their current situation and as if he’s not bleeding on the inside.

Tsukishima frowned and asked in a quiet voice. “What’s wrong Akaashi-san?”

The man’s smile only widened as he shook his head: “Nothing. Nothing at all.” He cleared his throat and sighed. “I’m just happy that ... if I’m going to die-“

“You won’t die,” Tsukishima cut him off.

“-I won’t die alone, in a cold room, in the middle of nowhere,” Akaashi finished as if Tsukishima didn’t say anything. It made the doctor’s frown deepen.

“I won’t let you,” he hissed. “You have no idea what we did to get to you. So please, don’t make me be rude to you.”

“You should be,” Akaashi murmured, his gaze dropping from Tsukishima’s face and onto the window. “I was the one that messed everything up. With recruiting a complete stranger... and with you.” He winced, biting his lip, “I drove you away with my decision. Bokuto-san and Kuroo-san didn’t agree with me. They wanted to kill him. But I stopped them.”

“Akaashi-san, please, stop-“

“No, hear me out,” Akaashi interrupted him. “In case I don’t make out if this alive, you have everything you need to get him. In Fukurodani’s database.”

Tsukishima glanced at Bokuto who seemed rather determined to make the van go faster with his gaze. The blond knew, however, that he was listening intently to their conversation. But, he didn’t interject, letting Akaashi tell Tsukishima what he needs to tell him.

“You know the password, ne?” Akaashi smiled, reaching out to touch Tsukishima’s hand. He accepted it and gave it a firm squeeze.

“...I do.”

“Well then,” Akaashi closed his eyes, “I think I’ll sleep for a bit. I feel like dreaming about catching him with you,” he admitted, settling into the soft seat of the van.

Tsukishima nodded and settled back in his seat. He stared at the man who seemed to drift off into a first peaceful sleep in a long time. He could feel Bokuto’s eyes on him but he didn’t dare catch his gaze. Not after that outburst from earlier. He pulled out a note with an adress from his pocket and handed it to Kenma who, after checking it out, nodded and gave it to Konoha.

“Hey,” Sarukui’s voice made Tsukishima look over to him. “Uh, your phone.”

The blond looked at the small phone, case slightly cracked from the impact. It seemed as if it bounced off of several things. It still worked though. Tough little shit. He accepted it with brief thanks.

“Speaking of, I should call Kuroo,” Bokuto said and started digging around his pockets for his own. “That explosion was actually really rough. How many explosives did Yaku use!?”

“Isn’t he the one who always complains how expensive that shit is?” Konoha asked.

Kenma nodded: “He is. But he doesn’t hold back when he’s angry.”

“Remind me not to get on his bad side. Like. Ever.”

“Sure.”

Tsukishima pocketed his phone as Bokuto dialed Nekoma leader. He could still hear the other vehicle driving behind them so he guessed they were fine. For the most part.

“Kuroo? You guys okay?” Bokuto asked, turning in his seat to look through the back window.

“Yeah, good. Akaashi is a bit dizzy, he’s laying down.” A pause. “Okay. Okay good. Now listen. When we get down, we’ll split. Travelling in group is bad. Tsukki is taking us to the clinic. We’ll have Kenma send you the details. Yes, he’s okay,” Bokuto said, looking at Tsukishima. The blond felt as if his cheeks are going to burst into flames at any second.

And if it were any other situation, they probably would. But he was too tired. He curled up into his seat and leaned forehead on the headrest. If he was going to help out in treating Akaashi, he might as well get some energy back. He didn’t sleep properly previous night so some rest was in order.

Before he dozed off, he felt something heavy settle over him.

Warm.

With familiar scent.

**-0-0-0-**

When Tsukishima woke up, they were still on the road. But very far away from the mountain where they previously caused havoc. His first instinct was to look over the seat and check Akaashi. He was sleeping and looked peaceful enough, but slightly bit paler. He wanted to nag at Konoha to go faster, but they were already speeding down the highway so he bit back his remarks. Noting the gray coat over him made him look for Fukurodani’s leader.

Bokuto was sitting straight up in his seat, eyes glued to the road. There was something in his expression that tugged on Tsukishima’s heart. If someone was to ask him do describe him right now, Tsukishima wouldn’t know how to do it.

“...Bokuto-san,” he called out quietly, snapping Bokuto from whatever thought that was occupying him. He instantly gave him smile.

“Ah, you’re awake. We’re almost there.”

Tsukishima nodded and fixed his glasses. After cracking his neck, he looked out of the window.

“He’s going to be fine,” the blond whispered, catching Bokuto’s full attention.

“...I know. I trust you,” Bokuto said with a firm nod.

But the air of worry didn’t leave any of them. they are going to be completely reassured when they actually see Akaashi on his two legs, walking and talking normally. Bokuto looked like there was more he wanted to say but he held back for some reason. Maybe the other occupants of the van. Whatever it is, it looked like it could wait, letting Tsukishima mentally prepare himself for what’s about to come.

And that is treating Akaashi’s wounds.

The van finally stopped in front of a small building, on the outskirts of a town nearby. Neat, white, with red letters that informed them that the building is a clinic. It was morning but the sign on the door read ‘closed’.

Bokuto stepped out of the car with a glare: “What the-“ Everyone, except for Konoha and Akaashi, followed him. The driver went to park the car nearby, in the shade and out of the sight. After that he joined the rest of them. Akaashi was too hurt to move, Tsukishima threatened him.

“Closed in the middle of the day!? WHAT THE FUCK!?” Bokuto yelled, slamming fists against the door. Kenma made a dissatisfied sound at the noise.

“Calm down,” Tsukishima said, dialing a number on his phone, “they are closed because of us, to keep other people away.”

Bokuto still looked angry but stopped banging at the door.

“Yes, we’re here,” Tsukishima said shortly and hung up. Dead silence settled over the group as they waited.

A loud click, and the door swung open, revealing a young man with black hair and gray eyes, dressed in green surgical uniform and surgical mask over his mouth and nose. Kenma squinted his eyes at him- he looked awfully familiar. Bokuto, on the other hand, didn’t pay attention.

“We’re here because-“

“I know,” the gentle voice interrupted him. “You’re here because of your injured spouse. We’re ready. Tsukishima-kun, will you help me with the stretcher?”

“Of course.”

For Bokuto and the rest, everything happened too fast. In one moment, the man and Tsukishima were pushing the stretcher to the van, in the next moment, they were already driving Akaashi inside of the clinic. Kenma nudged them all in on the man’s command, and locked the door up again. No disturbances allowed.

“Can he really help Akaashi-san out?” Konoha glared as the guy and Tsukishima disappeared in the OR.

Bokuto ignored the question. And attempted to follow them inside.

He was promptly kicked out by Tsukishima. A loud click accompanied his return inside.

“It is very likely,” Kenma said, propping himself up on one of the couches that were placed against the walls. “Tsukishima wouldn’t call in on the rookies.”

“I wanted to go in with them,” Bokuto grumbled.

“We saw,” Sarukui said.

“...Tsukki kicked me out.”

“We saw,” Kenma huffed, not looking up from his tablet. Sending report to Nekoma was more important than going back and forth with Bokuto. Everyone was worried, but they couldn’t do anything.

They left everything in Tsukishima’s hands.

 

Several hours later there was a knock on the front door.

Sarukui, who was in the foyer, on the guard duty, reached for his gun. After signaling Konoha, he aimed at the door- if remaining people from Orion somehow tracked them down, he’ll put a bullet through their head.

“It’s okay,” Kenma said, walking into the foyer, “That’s just Kuroo.”

He unlocked and indeed, it was Nekoma’s leader. Disheveled, hair messier than usual and with a crazy look in his eyes.

“...You look like you were on a man-hunt Kuro.”

“Kind of,” Kuroo chuckled and patted Kenma on his shoulder. “Thanks for guiding me here. How’s Akaashi?”

“...still in OR.”

Kuroo’s high mood seem to plummet at that information and he turned on his heels and left to join Bokuto in front of the OR.

“Hey man,” he tentatively called out to Bokuto. “You okay?”

Bokuto, who was laying on the couch with one hand over his eyes, turned his head to look at Kuroo.

“...better than you. What the fuck happened?”

“Nothing we couldn’t handle,” Kuroo grinned with confidence. Then nudged Bokuto’s legs so he can sit down next to him. “Any news?”

Fukurodani leader shook his head: “None yet. But Tsukishima said that Akaashi has internal bleeding. Who knows where and how it is...”

“Hey, don’t worry. If someone can fix him, he can,” Kuroo reassured him, patting his thigh. Bokuto’s frown deepened: “There’s this guy here that greeted us... now that I think about it, he looked awfully familiar?”

“Oh? You met him somewhere?”

Bokuto shook his head: “I don’t know. It feels like I did. But also like I didn’t. Gah! I don’t want to think about it, it’s hurting my brain.”

“Well, regardless, as long as he can help Akaashi out, I’m fine with him.”

“Yeah, no complaints here either,” Bokuto nodded.

**-0-0-0-**

Tsukishima pulled off bloody gloves from his hands with a sigh and tossed them in the bin. Followed by surgical cap and mask. Finally, he finished. He could feel tiredness finally settling inside of him and spreading throughout his body. He was on his limit and he was very painfully aware of it.

“I am amazed how he was still alive,” the guy sighed while taking off his own equipment.

Tsukishima stared at him for a long moment, “I’m sorry, Sugawara-san, I shouldn’t have—“

Sugawara just waved at him, “Forget it Tsukishima.” He looked over at Akaashi who was in deep sleep. “It’s not your fault. Or theirs.” Then he gave Tsukishima a look, “You know whose fault it is, right?”

The blond gritted his teeth: “But still-!”

Sugawara smiled widely at him, “Don’t worry about me, I’m fine.” Tsukishima somehow suspected that. The air around his former crow member seemed to be one of melancholy and sadness.

“You’re not. And I will uphold my part of this bargain, I promise.”

The former silver-haired man laughed, “Yep. I know you will.” He nodded at the door. “Go tell them.”

Tsukishima nodded and bowed slightly: “Once again, I’m sorry for risking your exposure. If you’ll excuse me.”

Sugawara watched the door close with a soft click. He fell into the chair next to it, running hands down his face.

“Sorry Daichi, I can’t keep my promise of not involving him,” Sugawara muttered under his breath.

-0-0-0-

After Tsukishima told everyone about how Akaashi is going to be perfectly fine, everyone sighed in relief. Some of them cried (Bokuto), others clung onto Tsukishima like he was a God who just descended upon them with a miracle (Kuroo), and the rest just thanked him. Tsukishima almost collapsed under the weight of Kuroo’s body while he clung onto him.

“We should go celebrate!” he announced.

“Kuroo-san, I’m too tired,” Tsukishima said, too weak to push him away.

“And we can’t go without Akaashi!”

“Then should we make a "welcome back" party and ‘Fuck you, Orion, we did it” party together?” Konoha suggested.

“Sounds like a perfect plan to me,” Bokuto caved in, after looking determined to light fireworks right then and there.

“I need to rest,” Tsukishima said, gently slipping from Kuroo’s neck-breaking hold.

“We rented rooms in the hotel in a town nearby. Most of our members went back, but I figured you three wouldn’t want to go back because of Akaashi-san,” Kenma said and handed hotel card and phone number to Kuroo.

Konoha and Sarukui nodded, “We’ll be heading back and tie things up and fix problems if they show up.”

Bokuto hung himself over both of their shoulders: “Well, well, well-! Look who became completely reliable and action-taking!”

Konoha groaned loudly and wanted to pull himself away from the burst of Bokuto’s affections, but he didn’t get far away. Noggie followed.

“How about you make a ruckus outside of the clinic?” Tsukishima asked, looking unimpressed.

“Alright, let’s go then.” Kuroo wrapped his hand around Tsukishima, leading all of them outside. “Food and beds await us.”

TBC

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thank you all for reading!!


	11. Dalmore 62

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> The party was lively. Nekoma and Fukurodani members milled around the Fukurodani estate, enjoying the food and the drinks. Tsukishima felt so out of place there despite everyone from Fukurodani coming up to thank him for saving Akaashi. The feeling that he was intruding on someone else’s happiness just wouldn’t leave.
> 
> Watching Akaashi chat happily with Bokuto, who was trying to feed him the cake, made him smile. 
> 
> And down the glass of champagne he was holding in one go.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> WOO! Finally :D! If my calculations are correct, there are two more chapters left for this fic :3 Anyway- I hope you enjoy this chapter! And I hope you enjoy the "treat" ;D

When Tsukishima opened his eyes, he was greeted by a lump of messy, black hair. He needed some time to remember where he actually was and what the heck is that disaster in front of him. Then the memories came flooding back, making him frown. Why the fuck is Kuroo in his bed? He doesn’t remember inviting him to his room.

Now that he thinks about it, he barely remembers anything that happened before he fell asleep. They arrived at the hotel, the host gave them three sets of keys for three rooms, courtesy of Kenma and then... he fell asleep? Did he fall asleep in the lobby or in Kuroo’s room?

The sound of water being flushed made Tsukishima sit up instantly. Bokuto’s here too, huh? Now he literally has no idea what happened. Maybe he passed out and they carried him in here and then stayed because... they worried? He scratches his head and sighs. It’s pointless trying to remember stuff by force.

He found the glasses on the night table and placed them on his face. Looking back at the lump left of him, his brows furrowed. With his head buried between the pillows like that, Tsukishima wonders if Nekoma leader can actually breathe.

“They could assassinate him in his sleep,” voice reached Tsukishima. When he looked over, Bokuto was smiling at him while drying his hair, wearing only sweatpants.

“Let’s do it,” Tsukishima whispered conspiratorially and smirked, looking back at Kuroo. Who only just shifted and continued to sleep.

Bokuto laughed and walked over to the glass table in the middle of the room. It was a really nice room, now that Tsukishima took a better look. Way better than a run down motel. There’s TV, a mini bar, corner lounge couch, a big veranda and, of course, a big bed.

Big enough to apparently fit three grown men in it.

With a cellphone in his hand, Bokuto came over to Tsukishima’s right side and sat down. After sending a message and tossing the phone on the night table, he turns to the blond.

“You look like a mess,” Tsukishima said.

“I don’t want to hear that from a guy who fell asleep on his legs,” Bokuto huffed, making Tsukishima roll his eyes. Okay, he was tired, so what? He was wrestling with the surgery for hours, he needs his sleep.

There was a moment where only sound of Kuroo’s snoring filled the room. Tsukishima didn't know what to say, feeling awkwardness seep under his skin. How do you talk to someone from whom you walked away without a word? Sure, he had a reason for it but after Akaashi’s explanation, he feels a bit guilty about it. Does he regret it? No.

“Thank you.”

Tsukishima looked up from the covers he was staring at with wide eyes.

“What- what for?”

“Akaashi,” Bokuto sighed and ran the hand through his wet hair. He sighed, “and for dealing with my threats, with all of this. You had no obligation to put yourself in danger for us. For me.”

“Please stop,” Tsukishima mumbled. Thanking him, apologizing- he doesn’t need any of those things. He did it because he wanted to. Bokuto didn’t put a gun to his head and told him to follow him to Orion’s base.  But coming along felt natural. Like it would be an insult to everyone if he didn’t.

“How about instead of that, you help me capture him?” Tsukishima asked.  Bokuto raised an eyebrow and the blond just shrugged, “Akaashi-san gave a  green light, didn’t he? And **he** became very... lax of his personal security.”

Bokuto’s eyes glinted dangerously: “...are you going to kill him?”

Tsukishima reached out and moved bangs from Bokuto’s face. “No. I will make him so miserable, he’ll seek me out and ask me to kill him.”

“Expected nothing less from you,” a new voice joined in, making both Tsukishima and Bokuto jump and turn around. Buried between the covers and pillows, only Kuroo’s eyes were visible. Staring at both of them happily.

“Bokuto-san, if my heart stops working, you’ll know whose fault it would be,” Tsukishima grumbled, grabbed one of Kuroo’s pillows and proceeded to smother him with it.

A pillow fight broke out between three grown ass men, two of which were mafia house leaders.

 

 

They spent two weeks in the hotel. Mostly going back and forth between the clinic and the hotel, visiting Akaashi whenever they could. Tsukishima would sometimes stay behind to tend to the wounds, making sure that Akaashi doesn’t catch a post-op infection.Since the clinic worked normally now they made sure to put Akaashi in a different room so that people don’t ask questions.

At the hotel, Kuroo and Bokuto spent hours going on their computers and cellphones.  Tsukishima would watch them work from the bed where he’s reading. The aura of safety they emitted was crawling under his skin.

He was getting used to this. It was dangerous and he didn’t like it.

When they return to Tokyo, he’ll go back to his apartment. Empty apartment. While they go back to their families.  Celebrating. They will probably invite him too but it’s... not the same.

Kuroo must’ve sensed his gloomy mood from across the room several times because he’d look up from his laptop and give him an intense stare. A ‘tell me what’s going on in that head of yours’ stare. But, Tsukishima being Tsukishima, remained stubborn and decided that medical books are more interesting.

 

 

At the end of the second week, Akaashi was well enough to sit up in bed. He still couldn’t walk, but he could talk and sit, which meant that they could transfer him back to Tokyo.

The Nekoma leader stood to the side in Akaashi’s room, in red coat and hands in pockets. He listened to Bokuto and Tsukishima talk about arrangements and how to transfer Akaashi from bed to wheelchair.

“I’ll go and meet Konoha, he should arrive soon with our transportation,” Bokuto said, tapping Akaashi’s leg. Akaashi smiled at him and nodded.  Bokuto left, leaving Tsukishima, who was turning off Akaashi’s last IV and Kuroo, who looked entirely too suspicious, with him.

“If you don’t need anything Akaashi-san, I’ll go and fix the release documents and get the wheelchair.” He looked at Kuroo, “Stay with him.”

“Of course.”

When the blond left the room, their eyes met and Kuroo’s smile dropped.

Akaashi cleared his throat.

“Something on your mind, Kuroo-san?”

Kuroo stepped away from where he was standing next to defibrillator and paused at the bottom of Akaashi’s bed. He didn’t pull his hands out because there’s only so much a leader can reveal- nervousness, weakness, and fear in form of clenched fists are not allowed.

“Don’t ever do something like that again,” Kuroo said in an icy low tone. Akaashi glared at him.

“What I did was for good of the family. If I didn’t get that guy, we would’ve-“

“The good? _Of the family?_ ” Kuroo’s icy rage cooled the room down for several degrees. “Do you have any idea what we went through?!  Five minutes Akaashi! If we were late five minutes, we’d be holding a funeral for you, not throwing a welcome back party!”

Akaashi didn’t seem phased with what Kuroo said. Because he knew all of this way too well. It’s been running through his mind ever since he regained his consciousness. 

“...I did what I had to. You know that. Don’t act like you wouldn’t do it too if you were in my place!” Akaashi hissed through clenched teeth.

“Yes. I would,” Kuroo confirmed, his rage seemingly subsiding, but not leaving. “But I would also tell someone. One person, Akaashi. For backup. That’s all you need. Or do you not trust us?”

Akaashi looked down at his bandaged hands. “I do. But I didn’t trust Orion. I knew what they did, what they will probably continue to do. I endangered us all and it was on me to take the responsibility. Dragging someone else down with me was unacceptable.” _I was prepared to die_ \- remained unsaid but it was visible enough from Akaashi’s intense gaze.

It was silent for a few moments. Akaashi tried to read Kuroo’s expression but it showed nothing.

Nekoma’s leader turned around and walked over to the window. The street wasn’t that busy but there were people walking around. His eyes landed on Bokuto’s figure, standing next to the van and Konoha, animatedly discussing something.

“What I saw of him...” Kuroo said barely above the whisper, “... I don’t want to see again.” He looked over his shoulder at Akaashi. “Ever.”

Akaashi’s fingers curled into the bedsheets and he bit his lower lip, looking like he was swallowing back tears: “...I...”

Tsukishima decided to show up at that moment and instantly paused at the door. He squinted suspiciously at them both and then glared at Kuroo.

“What did you do?”

With a brief delay, Kuroo gasped dramatically, “Why is it always me!?”

When Tsukishima’s glare only intensified, Akaashi’s, slightly forced laugh broke the tension. “Don’t worry Tsukishima-kun,” Akaashi said, “Kuroo-san just got so sentimental it almost made me cry.”

The blond moved from the door and parked the wheelchair next to Akaashi’s bed, “Kuroo-san, I implore you, please don’t upset the patient. Or I’ll have to kick you out.”

“Oh please, you’d never kick me out,” Kuroo grinned impishly, hands on his hips. “You love me too much.”

Five seconds later, Kuroo was flying out of Akaashi’s room, face first into the wall opposite of it. The door closed behind him with a loud bang.

“Ow-ow-ow... shit!” he pulled himself away from the wall and rubbed his nose. “For a thin twig, he sure has some strength packed up. Where the fuck...”

“Huh? Kuroo?”

He turned around and saw Bokuto walking up to him.

“What are you doing out here?”

“...Tsukki kicked me out.”

“Ah, I know the feeling,” Bokuto said with a firm nod, hands crossed over his chest. “Anyway, the van’s ready so we can head out whenever.”

Kuroo grinned and patted Bokuto on his back, “Can’t wait, actually. The hotel’s good and all, but nothing beats home.”

Thirty minutes later, they were all packed up comfortably into the van, chatting animatedly. Tsukishima turned around to look at the clinic one last time and saw a black haired male on the window, watching them. After giving him a nod and getting one back in return, he entered the vehicle.

 

He was dropped off at his place as soon as they arrived. Bokuto complained and wanted Tsukishima to come with them, as always, but the blond declined. He needed to... be alone for a while. Sort himself out. What he wants to do and how to go around doing it. After watching the van disappear into the night, he headed to the apartment.

It was empty, of course. Tsukishima dropped the bag next to the door and keys on the key holder. He didn’t take off his shoes because the floor was dusty- he wasn’t around for a quite a while so it wasn’t clean. The phone showed twenty voice messages. All of them probably from his brother, wondering why he didn’t call. After their parents died, everything had spiraled out of control, Kei became the single, most easily irritable person and Akiteru was insufferable. Kei didn’t know how his brother managed to suffocate him so much when they don’t even live together anymore.

Their relationship was becoming worse and worse as the time went on. Everyone called him ungrateful and troublesome, that he should just shut up and stop making his brother trouble while he worked to support them both. They were probably right if Kei is to stop and think about it rationally, but he didn’t. Because, at age of 17, Tsukishima Kei was everything but rational. Everything made more sense- except ‘going easy on his brother’. Everyone acted as if Akiteru was the only one affected by their parents’ death.

At the age of 17, Tsukishima Kei met Daichi.

Calm and collected, Sawamura Daichi had stepped on the train one evening, when Tsukishima was going back home. He wasn’t tall, but his shoulders were wide, a tattoo of a crow with spread wings on his neck. He wasn’t frowning, but he wasn’t smiling either. His whole posture screamed “danger” and if the male talked to him, Tsukishima probably wouldn’t look him in the eye or take a step back.

It was stuffy August evening, the air in the train suffocating every passenger that night. Trying to recall what happened between Daichi stepping on the train and sitting across of him, and the train derailment after five minutes was impossible for him. The next memory he has of the event remained vivid, the colors of his own blood etched in his mind forever.

Tsukishima closed the cabinet with too much force as he felt scar on his thigh twitch uncomfortably. If it weren’t for Daichi he’d probably bleed out and die right then and there.

_“Hold on kid, the ambulance is coming! ... hey, don’t close your eyes, don’t pass out, ok? Just stay awake for another moment!”_

After the accident, things seemed to take another color for him and his brother. They talked. Kei called him annoying. Akiteru called him a brat. They settled on cooperating and try to get along. Akiteru promised him to find him an apartment if Kei managed to get into medical school. And he did. Just to get away from everything that reminded him of his old life.

Daichi helped him accomplish it. Kei didn’t know when or how Daichi found out about his situation (he realized LATER how) and decided to help him out, despite Tsukishima’s fervent refusals. He found him a good tutor (Sugawara), helped him get an apartment close to college on very cheap rent price to share with his best friend (Yamaguchi). The debt Tsukishima family was in after Kei’s accident disappeared over the night.

The debt, Tsukishima convinced himself, was the only reason why he accepted the invitation to join the family. Daichi never pressured him, never threatened him, never blackmailed him. Kei accepted the invitation because he wanted to. The inner troublemaker in him rejoiced when he stepped in Karasuno’s hideout for the first time.

Yamaguchi soon joined as well, after Tsukishima’s initiation. A black crow in flight, tattooed somewhere on his body to represent that he’s part of the family. He chose between his shoulder blades. Meeting Nekoma, Fukurodani, Nohebi... Maldives...

The memories blurred into each other while Tsukishima stared at the ceiling.

Daichi was dead and he will never be able to pay off his debt. He will forever be held back with that thought weighing on his mind. It’s something that others can’t understand.  He’d be lying if they didn’t try, but in the end, they didn’t accept his request. Which is why he walked away. Kei planned to off him once he found him. It wouldn’t be pretty and he would probably be found out but his debt would finally be paid off.

Then Akaashi disappeared. And the world turned upside down. And from some hidden pocket, he fell out. Like on a silver platter. Tsukishima was ready for them- Bokuto, Kuroo and Akaashi- to go against it, to make it hard for Tsukishima to get him. But for some reason, they changed their mind this time.

It bugged him. Why did they change their mind? Were they telling the truth when they said that Akaashi was actually the one that had a final word in the matter? Would they actually let Akaashi take all the responsibility and the guilt?

No. Especially not Bokuto. Fukurodani leader was always more inclined to listen to Akaashi than to himself. They weren’t lying when they said that Akaashi was their pillar. So why? Why did Akaashi stop him? He wasn’t a kid anymore- Tsukishima had more kills under his belt than some serial killers.

There’s only one way to find out. And that is to ask him.

 

The party was lively. Nekoma and Fukurodani members milled around the Fukurodani estate, enjoying the food and the drinks. Tsukishima felt so out of place there despite everyone from Fukurodani coming up to thank him for saving Akaashi. The feeling that he was intruding on someone else’s happiness just wouldn’t leave.

Watching Akaashi chat happily with Bokuto, who was trying to feed him the cake, made him smile. 

And down the glass of champagne he was holding in one go. He instantly got dizzy and regretted his decision. Then he remembered that Bokuto always had a room reserved for him upstairs so- that’s another glass down.

“You know, there are easier ways to get yourself drunk,” Kuroo said, seemingly appearing out of nowhere, as Tsukishima placed his fourth, empty glass on the tray that waiter carried by. He turned around and squinted at Kuroo.

“I am not trying to get drunk,” Tsukishima said, trying to sound offended.

“...yeah. And I’m Queen of England,” Kuroo rolled his eyes with a snort.

“Are you keeping tabs on me?” the blond asked and went for another glass. Kuroo grabbed him and waved the waiter away.

“I’m just saying- the champagne won’t get you drunk.” He pulled him backward and Tsukishima’s back hit Kuroo’s chest. He whispered in Tsukishima’s ear, his hand sneaking around the blond’s waist, “I snagged Bokuto’s ‘Dalmore 62’. Join me?”

“...that shit is over two hundred thousand dollars, he’ll kill us,” Tsukishima wriggled, glancing around. Was it him or are people staring at them?

“PFF! We’ll say “We’re celebrating Akaashi’s recovery!” He’ll yield instantly.”

Tsukishima finally managed to turn around in Kuroo’s hold and gave him a look. A look that said he’s having second thoughts about his initial refusal.

“...Well?” Kuroo waggled his eyebrows expectantly.

Tsukishima clicked his tongue, his fingers hooking on one of belt loops, pulling him closer.

“Where is it?”

***

“Kuroo... I’m here to drink...” Tsukishima slurred from his position the floor. Is it him or is the Persian carpet fluffier and softer than the bed? The bottle of one of the most expensive whiskey’s was in Tsukishima’s right hand, half empty already.

“I was too...” Kuroo mumbled from his position on Tsukishima’s hips, swaying unsteadily. He wanted to reach out for the bottle but some voice in his head, that reminded him of Akaashi, told him that if he leans over he’ll fall over. And he doesn’t want that. It felt amazing where he was right now.

Tsukishima’s vision was blurred, the glasses lost somewhere in the room while he wrestled Kuroo for the bottle earlier. He won the bottle, Kuroo won a spot on his hips. Seemed like a fair trade at the time. But now it’s getting too hot and Tsukishima wants to kick the catman away from him.

Which required strength and precision, something Tsukishima didn't have right now. “Was?”

“Mmm,” Kuroo nodded, a familiar grin spreading over his features. “But this,” he made sure to rock himself against Tsukishima to prove his point, eliciting a soft moan from the blond, “is way, **way** better than the alcohol.”

Tsukishima finally lets go of the bottle, his hands coming up to rest on Kuroo’s hips. His vision was as unsteady as Kuroo’s movements, but he somehow managed to get a good hold on him. “You’re... an asshole. Scheming asshole,” Kei muttered under his breath, his fingers disappearing under Kuroo’s button up shirt, getting Kuroo to gasp at the touch.

“Nn... your hands are cold,” he said in a low tone. A tone that made Tsukishima’s stomach turn. Or was that the alcohol? Dalmore is strong as fuck.  
Whether Kuroo lost his balance or no it didn’t matter- the point was that he was now hovering over Tsukishima’s lips while licking his own. “Want me to warm them up?” he asked with a grin. Tsukishima held back a groan at the corniness (somehow, his brain still managed to recognize Kuroo’s shitty pickup lines even in its inebriated state), and his hands stopped moving and went back to the other’s hips, pulling him roughly down.

“Shut the fuck up,” the blond hissed, leaning up to kiss him and end the teasing.

He doesn’t know why he was doing this- why he was insistent on getting drunk, why he’s kissing Kuroo now and letting him grind down against him, getting more excited by every passing second. And to be perfectly honest, he’s tired of thinking and coming up with an answer to everything.

So he lets himself get lost in Kuroo’s touches, kisses and bites. The way his fingers travel over his body and teeth pull at sensitive skin on his neck. The slower Kuroo’s movements got, the more urgent Tsukishima became, and the asshole knew it. He kept cursing him, biting his lips and jaw, ripped his fancy, silky shirt at one point, sending buttons flying.

“The shirt never did anything to you,” Kuroo mused loudly while taking off the remnants of the clothing.

The blond growled, “It got in the way and you enabled it.” Kuroo laughed and leaned back in for another deep kiss. Tsukishima’s hands now tried to pull the belt forcefully out of the way, but it didn’t work.

“Why--!”  he broke the kiss to look down at the belt. Kuroo was more amused by Tsukishima’s impatience than annoyed for breaking their kiss so often. When he finally undid it, Tsukishima pulled it completely out of the pants' loops, in spite.

“Someone’s impatient,” Kuroo clicked his tongue, watching with hungry eyes as Tsukishima’s hands worked their way past his underwear. The blond didn’t comment, his mind completely set on the task of making Kuroo groan so loudly that every person in Fukurodani mansion could hear him.

“Someone’s loud,” Tsukishima countered, proving his point as he stroked him roughly. He didn’t even bother to take off Kuroo’s clothes completely- they were even barely pulled down. Kuroo growled and went for Tsukishima’s trousers while leaning in to kiss him roughly. Biting and sucking, pushing into the kiss with all the heat and need that blond’s hands are rousing in him.

He’s faintly aware that they can’t do more than just give each other handjobs, they were too drunk to even get to the bed. But it will be more than enough. This will not satiate Kuroo’s cravings but it will quench the thirst that those two weeks at that hotel invoked in him.

The movements of their hands weren't in rhythm at all. They were drunk, for one, and two, they keep interrupting each other with sudden, rough strokes. Tsukishima’s face was buried in Kuroo’s neck, trying to block out the sounds he was making, while Kuroo didn’t bother trying to quiet himself down. Tsukishima’s hand felt too good, it gathered heat in the pit of his stomach in no time.

He’s not sure who came first- Tsukishima, who was biting down on his neck, or him, groaning loudly against Tsukishima’s ear, forehead pressed against the floor. Kuroo could feel a strong shiver run down his back as he breathed heavily, trying to keep himself propped up and not crush the blond beneath him.

Kuroo didn’t know how long they remained in that position. When he moved his head from Tsukishima’s shoulder and looked at his flushed, sleepy face, he felt different kind of warmth wash over him.

“If...” Tsukishima started in a very quiet voice, “...you say or ask something stupid right now...”

Kuroo placed a finger on his lips. “I know. No talking.”

Maybe it was the light, maybe it was that two hundred thousand dollars whiskey, but as Tsukishima curled against his chest, Kuroo was sure he saw a glint of tears in the warm, honey eyes.

 

TBC

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I felt like I left Kuroo out from a lot of situations in this story soooo :D that's my way of making up to him!~
> 
> Thank you all for reading!!


	12. Blood Contract

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> “He’s yours. I expect you to do your end of the deal. If he winds up free, I will hunt him down and kill him and then I will hunt you down and kill you.”
> 
> Click.
> 
> He sighed shakily and turned to look at Bokuto, Kuroo and Akaashi, who just came out.
> 
> In a shaky breath, he muttered.
> 
> “It’s over...”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Sorry for the long wait everyone! I had some serious health issues (I still do...) but I managed to finish this chapter finally! I hope you like it!

** 2nd of December, 20xx ; 10:26AM, Fukurodani base **

“... and it’s so sexy.”

A distant voice woke Tsukishima up. Mentally, he killed the owner of the said voice three times by now. Who the fuck is talking this early in the morning and while he has a headache?! Seriously, neighbors need to calm down or he’ll—

Wait.

The fabric softener is not the one he uses. Also, the bed is much softer.

Where the fuck is he? Didn’t he go home last night? Did he actually accept to ‘drink his worries away’ with Kuroo? If that’s so then no wonder his head is pounding like a drum.

“Ugh, Bokuto, can you not?” a muffled voice complained.

“I refuse to adhere to your request because you guzzled down my most expensive whiskey.”

“Someone end me now...”

A more calm and quiet voice quipped in: “You want to party wild and have no consequences? There’s no such thing.”

“You tell him Akaashi!”

Kuroo, Bokuto and Akaashi. They are all here. Tsukishima thought he’d be able to evade this morning, somehow teleport out of this plane of existence and disappear. Since he can’t, he’ll pretend to still be asleep (despite all the noise in the room) and try to will away the hangover.

The person that was sharing a bed with him, which turned out to be Kuroo since his voice was heard next, sat up.

“Listen. When Tsukki invites you to drink, you don’t say no. You brace yourself to get drunk under the table and go with it because there might never be another chance.”

“ _He_  invited  _you_ to drink?” Bokuto’s tone of voice was suspicious and Tsukishima sent a mental wave of gratitude to him for it. He felt the mattress fall in, signaling that Bokuto joined them on the bed.

Kuroo’s silence didn’t help him.

“Well?” Akaashi inquired.

Kuroo groaned: “Okay, first- stop doubting me so much! Second- Tsukki was drinking glass after glass of that god-awful champagne-“

“Wha--!? That’s the BEST champagne on the market!” Bokuto hissed out.

Kuroo continued as if he wasn’t interrupted, “-so I wanted to spare him the nasty taste, snagged the bottle of decent drink and invited him to share. I didn’t force him into drinking if that’s what you’re thinking!”

“You ended up sprawled naked on the floor,” Akaashi quipped in an amused tone. Tsukishima immediately got a mental image of Kuroo bristling up.

“W-Well-! Things got interesting after a while...”

“You mean after you went through the whole bottle,” Bokuto butted in.

“It wasn’t a WHOLE bottle. There’s still some left!”

“You know that Bokuto had to drag you two to the bed?” Akaashi still sounded amused. It scared Tsukishima. “Naked?”

If Kuroo wasn’t rolling his eyes, then Tsukishima was doing it mentally for him. “Good God, you say it as if you never saw me or him naked before.”

“I dunno,” Bokuto sounded dismissive, “we didn’t see you naked in a while. Who knows. Maybe you grew a dick or two while we weren’t looking.”

That made Akaashi burst into laughter and Kuroo pounce on Bokuto. After such commotion on the bed, Tsukishima couldn’t pretend he was sleeping.

“Whoever told you that you were adults, they were wrong,” Tsukishima mumbled, drawing attention onto him in an instant. The bed was still moving a bit because Bokuto was trying to get his hands free from Kuroo’s grasp. The blond grabbed glasses from the side table and frowned at them.

“...what the fuck are you doing Kuroo?”

The man in question was straddling Bokuto butt naked, pinning the man’s hands onto his chest and trying to keep him still.

“Kuroo! Get off me or I’ll break your dick!” The owl-head yelled, making Tsukishima’s ears ring. Eventually, they ended up rolling off the bed and on the floor. Akaashi and Tsukishima just sighed and decided to ignore them.

“...are you alright?” Akaashi asked, rolling his wheel chair closer to the blond. Tsukishima rubbed his temples and sighed.

“Aside from hangover, I’m fine.”

“I was asking about something different.”

Tsukishima caught Akaashi’s azure stare, which sent a shiver through him. Yes, he knows what the man was talking about. If he is alright with this- all four of them, in the same bedroom, naked, half-naked and dressed.

“...I think so.”

“You’re still not sure?” Akaashi asked.

Tsukishima frowned. It got silent in the room and he could feel two pairs of eyes locked onto him from the other side of the bed, expectantly waiting for the answer.

“That’s not it,” he muttered. “You know me. How I get stuck on these things. I know that it’s no good and that I should probably let it go, but-“

“You don’t need to explain. I... realized a lot of things when I was captured,” Akaashi said firmly. “I thought that you, I, we could fix it without doing anything rash. We were selfish. **I**  was selfish, wanting to keep you next to me all the time, safe, not thinking about what you want, what you need.  I kept you from moving on.”

Tsukishima didn’t say anything and neither did Bokuto and Kuroo. He didn’t know what to say. Seeking revenge for what happened to his family is reckless, selfish. But... necessary.

“I’m sorry,” Tsukishima said, looking at hands in his lap, “I need to put an end to that chapter of my life. I... don’t think I will be able to do anything else. I promised that to myself.” And Sugawara.

“Alright then,” Bokuto said, getting off the ground and making everyone look at him. With an amused yet menacing grin on his face, he announced: “It’s time we finally finish this!” He laughs, “I’m actually very eager to see what you have in store for him. Akaashi, remind me to record this.”

“Of course,” he approved with a smile.

“This will be our New Year’s gift for you!” Kuroo exclaimed happily and jumped back on the bed, attempting to tackle Tsukishima and coerce him into a kiss. He received Tsukishima’s foot in the face.

“Stop yelling, I have a headache.”

“We will send you a note when he gets here. I assume you will arrange the proper punishment yourself?”

The wicked grin Tsukishima had on his face was enough of an answer.

** 30th of December, 20xx ; 8:45PM, Fukurodani base **

Tsukishima’s heart is beating loudly against his chest.

The driver from Nekoma brought him to Fukurodani estate fifteen minutes earlier. Every single nerve in his body is tense, it’s hard to breathe- the adrenaline was kicking his ass royally. If he was Hinata, he’d be bouncing off the walls.

 ** _He_**  was there. It was so easy. Too easy in fact. He wondered how Akaashi managed to drag him in at this hour without drawing suspicion of his partner. Maybe his partner didn’t know.

The shrill ring of his phone cut through his thoughts and brought Tsukishima’s attention to reality. The screen was blinking happy, white color. His shaky fingers almost declined the call.

“Good evening, Ushijima-san.”

“It is going to happen tonight, correct?”

“Yes. He is already here,” Tsukishima confirmed.

Ushijima hummed, pleased. “I’m glad you contacted me regarding this. Aside from the fact that he made me short over ten million dollars only in past few months, I always wanted a pet.”

“I can’t make any promises,” the blond said flatly, nodding at the guard in front of the elevator. “If he chooses one of the other options, any money on his name will be transferred to your name.”

“...try to convince him.”

“I can’t say I will do my best because I really want him dead, but I have a few aces that might work.”

“I will be expecting a call from you later.”

“Of course.”

The phone call ended just as the elevator arrived. It was empty and Tsukishima stepped in, shifting his black briefcase to the left hand and untying his scarf. Everyone else is already in the interrogation room- a small, concrete cell at the end of the right hall. It has a black table, two chairs, two-way mirror, several cameras and, right now, a person Tsukishima wants to kill.

His stride was confident as he made his way down the hall. And the first person to greet him was none other than Bokuto. In a second, Tsukishima matched Bokuto’s maniacal grin.

“I can’t imagine a better gift for New Year,” Tsukishima said when he got into Bokuto’s earshot. Fukurodani boss just laughed.

“Right!? Kuroo and Akaashi are in the mirror room, recordings are set up and he’s handcuffed to the chair.” Tsukishima raised his eyebrow and Bokuto shrugged, “We surprised him.”

Tsukishima took off his coat and scarf and handed them over to one of the guards, remaining only in dark gray dress suit, black button up shirt and designer shoes. He’s celebrating tonight. After he picked up the briefcase, he nodded at Bokuto, who in turn nodded at the camera.

The door to the room clicked open.

Bokuto grinned and handed him a small, silver key.

“Enjoy.”

\---------

His shoes were loud over the concrete floor and instantly drew the attention from the prisoner. Tsukishima had a perfect poker face on, which seemed to irritate the occupant of the room even more.

“Good evening, Oikawa-san,” he greeted him in a flat tone, placing the briefcase on the table.

Oikawa hissed, “What is the meaning of this!?”

“Odd question, considering you’re a smart man,” Tsukishima said slowly and opened the briefcase. He pulled out a dark purple folder with big letter “S” in the middle and a very small bottle with black liquid in it.

“...revenge?”

“Revenge,” the blond confirmed, giving Oikawa a firm stare. The brunet shook his head.

“To think, that after I helped you retrieve your lover, you’d stoop to something like this,” Oikawa leaned back in his chair looking relaxed.

“I never asked you to help,” Tsukishima cut it off. “It was Bokuto-san’s idea to call you. I was satisfied with having only Kuroo as a sniper. I don’t owe you anything,” he hissed in an icy tone.

“You, however, owe me a lot.” He pulled another folder from his briefcase and opened it. “Let’s see here- you killed our Godfather by blowing up his cottage, set ablaze our hideout, hunted down several Karasuno members- some of which you managed to kill. You stole from my reserves of potions, tipped off our movements to Hebi and basically,” he closed the folder, “managed to make a mess of your life.”

Oikawa stared at him blankly.

“My life is not a mess,” he said quietly.

Tsukishima’s fingers entwined on his chest as he tilted his head. “No. Okay, I’ll let you believe that.”

He moved the briefcase and black folder on the floor and placed the purple one and the bottle in the middle of the table.

“Before we move on with the punishment, I just want to ask one thing. Why did you kill him?”

Oikawa’s eyes were locked onto the black liquid, face as pale as the walls around him. “I wasn’t targeting him. I was after Tobio-“

“-Hebi gave you the tip he will be at the cottage that evening correct?”

The man unwillingly nodded. “I didn’t know there was a change of plans. Tobio and his little fiance were supposed to spend their anniversary at that cottage.”

“The change of plans happened because the family decided to treat them to three-day vacation in the penthouse. They liked it more than some boring cottage in the woods. Jacuzzi over lake any day,” Tsukishima filled in the blanks.

Oikawa remained silent. He didn’t need to say anything else, Tsukishima knew what happened after- a big explosion that had spread to the woods, Sugawara arriving ten seconds after it happened. He knew all the details about it.

They were quiet for several minutes. From what he could gouge from Oikawa, he didn’t look afraid- only uneasy. This guy really doesn’t know in what kind of situation he is in.

The blond crossed his legs and let his hands fall on the armrests.

“I had a lot of ideas of how to dispose of you,” Tsukishima admitted and got an incredulous stare from Oikawa.

“But out of all of those, I had to choose and I have finally settled with three. The first one is, obviously, that I poison you. With that,” he nodded at the bottle. “The second is – you are to sign a contract with Shiratorizawa, a company that you love so much,” the grin was making its way back on Tsukishima’s face as Oikawa’s face grew paler.

“And third is- nothing. You can choose neither of these.”

The brunette seemed to relax, which only made Tsukishima smirk.

“Oh, please, do not misunderstand me,” he chuckled. “What I meant by that is- nothing will happen. You will not drink the poison. You will not sign the contract. You will not leave this place.”

“What..?”

Tsukishima stood up and started slowly pacing around, “You will spend your time here, you will receive no food or water, no visitors. NO ONE,” the blond raised his voice, “will know you are here. No one will know what happened to great Oikawa Tooru. No one will be able to find you. I’ll make sure of it. The death will be... slow. Torturous. How long can a human survive without water? Three days? Four?”

Oikawa didn’t answer. Tsukishima had his hands pocketed to hide how much they are shaking. This mental torture is bringing him so much joy he can barely contain himself.

“...” Oikawa’s gaze was locked on the purple folder.

“Ah, I almost forgot to explain what the Shiratorizawa contract brings to the plate.” Tsukishima quipped in a happy tone, too happy in fact. His pacing brought him behind Oikawa so he leaned over him to flip the folder open.

“Ushijima-san requests you.”

“What the fuck do you mean by that?”

“By signing this contract, you’re giving your life and freedom to him.”

Last time Tsukishima was this happy announcing something was when he told Karasuno he graduated Uni with honors.

“What in the _actual_ fuck Tsukishima!?  _WHO THE FUCK DO YOU THINK YOU ARE!?_ ”

“ _ **YOUR CAPTOR**_!”

Tsukishima yelled and violently kicked Oikawa’s chair, making it topple over, man’s temple hitting the floor. The rage, the adrenaline, allowed Tsukishima pull the chair back up in one swift movement, and he grabbed the back of Oikawa’s head, fingers curling painfully in his hair.

“ **YOU**  depend on  **ME**  now!  **YOUR**  life is not your own  _ **ANYMORE** **!**_ ”

With the last exclamation, he slammed the brunette’s head off the table and stepped away. There were no screams of pain from Oikawa, on grunts and spitting the blood from, probably, broken nose.

Tsukishima shoves hands into the pockets of his pants, staring at the two-way mirror, trying to calm down. He knows the others are watching him through it and it felt... comforting. Encouraging.

“...Your time is running out, Oikawa. Make your decision,” the blond spoke up after several minutes of complete silence in the room. He turned around to look at Oikawa who was staring at the contract.

“...what the contract says... is it true?”

“The protection of your family members? You can ask Ushijima-san. However, he never went back on his word in the past. “ Tsukishima walked back to the table, face void of expression.

“But if you drink the poison, you will leave them at the mercy of every other clan out there.”

“...Iwa-chan, he-”

“-will probably be hunted down, yes. There’s a bounty on his head from Hebi you love and trust, oh so much.”

They both stared at the contract in silence, for several minutes.

 

 

“...deal.”

\------

Tsukishima stepped out of the interrogation room and reached for his pocket. The door of the next room opened and Kuroo and Bokuto stepped out.

There was only one ring before Ushijima picked up. Tsukishima didn’t let him speak.

“He’s yours. I expect you to do your end of the deal. If he winds up free, I will hunt him down and kill him and then I will hunt _you_ down and kill _you_.”

_Click._

He sighed shakily and turned to look at Bokuto, Kuroo, and Akaashi who just came out of the room.

In a shaky breath, Tsukishima muttered.

“ ** _It’s over..._** ”

 

TBC 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> A/N: SO! I hope that was a surprise and that it didn't turn you away from the fic! There's only one more chapter left too!
> 
> What happens to Oikawa- I leave it up to you and your imagination. I really wanted to kill him at the beginning of the fic but ended up liking a lot of UshiOi in recent months so I decided to put this in! I hope you liked the twist :D!
> 
> One more chapter and it's an epilog! Only our boys! WOO!!


	13. Epilogue

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> But Nekoma leader didn’t hear a word of it. He tossed the folder on the ground and wrapped both of his hands around Tsukishima, pulling him in a hug so tight that the blond thought he will suffocate. Returning the hug, he buried his face into Kuroo’s neck, relaxing in the feeling of familiar warmth. A warmth that he wants to be by his side day after day.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This is the last chapter. Enjoy :)

** XXth of July, 20xx; time: 12:34 PM, ??? residence, Hawaii; **

The smell of salty air filled Akaashi’s nostrils and he stretched in the bed. It was empty, but that’s fine. Bokuto and Kuroo are probably out swimming and Tsukishima is sun tanning. His stomach grumbled, forcing Akaashi to sit up and blearily look around the room.

The king-sized bed was the only thing in the small, wooden cottage by the sea. There is a small bathroom, only with shower and sink, and a tiny part a fridge, stove, and counter that dubbed as the kitchen. After untangling his feet from the sheets, he searched for the slippers next to the bed. He should probably brush teeth and wash face before looking for food. Kuroo remembered to go buy something, right?

When he was done in the bathroom, Akaashi picked up sleeveless shirt from the chair and pulled on a swimming suit. It is a beautiful day and it would be a complete waste to not go and swim.

Stepping outside on the wooden, raised porch, he can instantly spot three figures on the beach, ten meters away. Kuroo is swimming, of course, but Bokuto is... well now.

Akaashi’s lips stretched into smirk because the complaints coming from Tsukishima reached his ears.

“Bokuto, stop.”

“It’s a private beach!”

“Do I look like I care?”

“You look like you need a nice, deep massage,” Bokuto’s voice was laced with amusement.

“And you look like you want some serious beating,” Tsukishima hissed, trying to wriggle away from Bokuto’s hands. Akaashi watched them for a while, wondering why is Kei insistent on getting away (especially after l _ast_ night- he’s not shy **_at all_** ). And Bokuto is right- the beach is completely private and secluded. He doubts that even God knows where they are. But then he notices that Bokuto was in the water, is completely wet and most likely cold. The droplets of water from Bokuto’s hair keep falling on Tsukishima’s sun-heated skin, causing knee-jerk reactions.

He decided to leave them alone (but not after giving Bokuto a knowing smile and getting one in return) and headed toward the water. Kuroo was floating on his back and singing something that had sounded like ‘poor, unfortunate souls’. Akaashi wanted to surprise him with a dunk but Kuroo heard him and turned around, grinning.

“ _In paaaaain, in neeeeeeeed_ ,” Kuroo continued and floated towards Akaashi who rolled his eyes and splashed water at him.

“You’re not a sea witch,” Akaashi said and slid into water easily. Kuroo chuckled and, once Akaashi reached him, wrapped hands around his middle.

“Tsukki disagrees. He called me Ursula twice already.”

“Is that why you’re singing?”

“Perhaps,” Kuroo said in a sing-song voice. Akaashi only sighed, wrapping his hands around Kuroo’s waist.  Six months later and this still feels surreal to him. That he’s alive. That Tsukishima’s back. That he has all of them here with him.

Kuroo spotted the odd look on Akaashi’s face.

“Something on your mind?”

“Mn. Nothing,” Akaashi smiled. “Just thinking how lucky I am.”

With a click of his tongue, Kuroo kissed him loudly and sighed. “We all are. Well, except Oikawa.” Akaashi rolled his eyes.

“I don’t really care what happens to him,” he admitted and Kuroo shrugged in return. Tsukishima’s voice interrupted their conversation.

“Guys, we’re going back inside.”

Kuroo and Akaashi looked over at him, not hiding their amused looks. Tsukishima’s neck was red (and not because of too much Sun) and hair completely messy. With a hand on a hip, Tsukishima tried to look completely unfazed but the look in his eyes was giving him away.

“Oho? Too sandy for you two?”

Tsukishima’s face instantly got red.

“Oh, shut up, Kraken.” Akaashi did his best to hide his chuckles using Kuroo’s shoulder.

Bokuto bounced to them and wrapped his hands around Tsukishima’s middle. “We’re going to cool down and then go buy lunch. What do you guys want to eat?”

“Salmon.”

Three matching groans.

“We’ve been living off of salmon for three days now!” Bokuto protested.

Tsukishima made a face, “Just thinking about fish makes me nauseous.”

“Alright, alright. Get whatever you want,” Kuroo waved at them.

“Steak. Get a steak,” Akaashi decided. And there were no protests.

The duo in water watched them go, their playful bickering and chuckles. Kuroo grinned. “Well. It looks like they get along better than before.”

“Hmm...” Akaashi didn’t say anything. He believed that the whole ordeal with Orion brought the two closer together. They are very different people, their personalities, and habits clashing on daily basis. It made him happy to see them like this.

Kuroo’s hands brought his sentimental thoughts to an abrupt halt. They have descended from Akaashi’s waist to the small of his back, fingers teasing at the waistband of his swim trunks.

Akaashi raised his eyebrow at him and Kuroo had a decency to “look” guilty. He wasn’t though.

“We are in the water, Kuroo-san.”

“That’s what makes it exciting,” Kuroo licked his lips, hands finally finishing their travel and softly squeezing Akaashi’s ass. Too bad Akaashi can’t get closer than this to him. With another roll of his eyes, Akaashi caught Kuroo’s lips in a deep kiss, slipping his tongue between his lips, not hesitating to deepen it.  Kuroo was caught off guard for just a second, eagerly kissing him back.

=================

Leaving Kuroo and Akaashi behind to make out in the sea, Tsukishima and Bokuto headed out. It was so sunny and hot and the blond didn’t like it. The air conditioning in the car is not helping out with the heat at all.

“We should have hired a cook,” Bokuto grumbled, fingers drumming against the wheel. “We have the money.”

Tsukishima yawned and rubbed his eyes, trying to get more comfortable in his seat. “Oh yeah? And where would she cook? That cottage has no proper kitchen.” Not to mention that they are incapable of keeping hands to themselves.

Especially Kuroo. Tsukishima has no clue what has gotten into him these days. Cat in the heat?

“Ughhh,” Bokuto groaned and smacked his head against the wheel. “This traffic! WHY!?” A man in yellow convertible sped past them through the red light and Bokuto flipped him and his friends off.

“We should have visited Maldives again,” Tsukishima added lazily, amused at Bokuto’s road rage. Well, as long as he doesn’t go speeding and taking people for a ride on their windshield it’s fine. Usually, he doesn’t care, but right now, they are on vacation and he doesn’t want to be disturbed by the police.

“I thought a change of scenery would be good! Oh-!” Bokuto turned to look at Tsukishima, “Speaking of change-! When are you going to hand it in?”

The blond glanced at Bokuto, feeling that sincere, happy smile bring up blush on his face.

“I wanted to wait for his birthday, but I can’t wait that long,” Tsukishima admitted, shifting nervously in his seat.

“So!? Tonight? The more you delay it, the bigger chances are that he’ll find it!”

“I know!” Tsukishima groaned. Thank God for Akaashi and his gorgeous, seducing eyes and tempting lips.  He kept Kuroo properly distracted.

“Akaashi and I will let you two talk tonight by yourselves,” Bokuto said, finally finding the spot to park the car. “We are really looking forward to it you know.”

Tsukishima turned to give Bokuto leveled look, only to find Bokuto looking at him the same way.

“I...”

“I know,” Bokuto interrupted him and the blond blinked.  “It’s hard to be alone.”

=======

The evening brought a cool breeze and Tsukishima stretched lazily. Watching the sunset at the sea like this was amazing, considering the hut is right next to the beach. The red light of the sun reflected off the water, making it sparkle.

Bokuto and Akaashi left for a romantic walk on the beach, leaving Kuroo and Tsukishima back at the hut. Kuroo, who was standing in the shallow water, feet digging into the soft sand and hands in the pockets of his red shorts.

Tsukishima felt his heart skip a beat and then drop through the floor. His fingers tightened around the folder in his hand- Bokuto, bless his soul, gave him this opportunity to talk to him eye to eye. It’s... difficult to bring up a question like this but he made up his mind.

“Kuroo-san.”

The man turned around instantly, tilting his head.

“Tsukki?” His lips twitched. “What’s with the formality?”

The blond approached him, feeling his heart rise up in his throat. He felt bad when Kuroo’s smile fell into an expressionless stare when he offered him the folder.

“This is... a request I want to make from you.” A beat. “If you’re willing.”

Tsukishima’s heart broke into pieces when he saw Kuroo’s shaky hand accept the folder. He didn’t want it to be like this.

Kuroo flipped the folder open, a cold, working facade settling on his face. Amber eyes watched him carefully, and he was glad that he did because Kuroo’s icy stare bloomed into one of surprise.

“Tsukki, you...” Kuroo cleared his throat. “Are you completely sure about this?”

The blond nodded and sighed, turning to look at the setting sun.

“I’ve been thinking about that for a long while,” he admitted. “Ever since we saved Akaashi-san.  It crossed my mind before but I was too preoccupied with my vengeance to pay attention to it. So...” Tsukishima cleared his throat, “...if there’s an empty space, I’d like to join Nekoma.”

Kuroo could only stare at Tsukishima, his mouth agape, speechless. Tsukishima sighed, pretending to be tired, “Besides, who’s going to make sure your manhunt wounds close up properly? You savage,” the blond grumbled, trying to sound reprimanding.

But Nekoma leader didn’t hear a word of it. He tossed the folder on the ground and wrapped both of his hands around Tsukishima, pulling him in a hug so tight that the blond thought he will suffocate. Returning the hug, he buried his face into Kuroo’s neck, relaxing in the feeling of familiar warmth. A warmth that he wants to be by his side day after day.

When Kuroo pulls away, he laughs softly, “I thought that if you ever accepted to join somewhere it would be Fukurodani. ‘Birds of a feather should flock together’?”

Tsukishima groaned: “I might be from bird clan, but I am certainly not the same feather like Bokuto-san. Besides,” he presses a soft kiss on Kuroo’s lips, “someone has to keep you in check. And I’m scared that Kenma-san will once get tired of you and just let you spend all of your cat lives.”

“Oho?” Kuroo grins. “You scared something will happen to me?”

“Yes,” Tsukishima says without blinking, making Kuroo’s grin drop and eyes water up.

“TSUKKI!” He lifts the blond up and makes him yelp. “LET’S GO BUY A CAKE! WE NEED TO CELEBRATE!!!”

“KUROO-SAN, PUT ME DOWN!”

_ -On a mini-island, not so far away- _

“Did you hear something?” Akaashi asked, stopping. Both Bokuto and he turn around to look in the direction of the hut.

“Oh! Tsukishima finally asked him!”

Akaashi’s eyebrows shot up to his hairline: “Oh? Is that why we’re talking a romantic walk?”

Bokuto grins and wraps his hands around Akaashi’s waist: “Partly. The other part is that I actually wanted to take a romantic walk with you.”

Akaashi smiled and leaned up, pressing a firm kiss on Bokuto’s lips. “I love you.”

 

“I love you too.”

 

The End.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I want to thank everyone that stuck with the story until the end and supported it! It makes me so happy! I hope that the conclusion was nice and heartwarming ^^
> 
> Bree, thank you for all the amazing art you made for me, for the story and outside of it! You are an amazing person and I hope you liked this little fanfic.
> 
> YAY! I finished a multi-chapter story! I'm actually very happy because I never managed to do this! YAYAAAYA!
> 
> /Goes to celebrate with chips and soda/
> 
> Have a wonderful day everyone! And thank you once again! 
> 
> I LOVE YOU ALL! ❤ (ɔˆз(ˆ⌣ˆc)


End file.
